


Project Restore

by ALimeToRemember



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AU, Action, Angst, Drama, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:41:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 59,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24091522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALimeToRemember/pseuds/ALimeToRemember
Summary: Total A/U. Features an O.C. inspired by Legends Episode 3.16Sara, Ava, and the rest of the Legends are working in Star City as security contractors. Ava and Sara have never been happier, and Sara is about to propose to Ava when she gets a mysterious call from someone in National City. When Sara awakes the next morning Ava is gone, leaving only a vague note telling her that it's over and not to come after her. Sara is devastated and vows to find Ava.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Comments: 94
Kudos: 250





	1. Me Gusta

Ava couldn’t breathe. She looked up at Sara, whose stare conveyed a fierceness Ava usually loved. But it had never before been directed at her. Ava tried to speak, tried to find the strength to tell Sara she still loved her, but the pain in her side was overwhelming. Sara looked down at the gun in her hands, then over to Lena. Releasing a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, Sara said, relieved, “At least now it’s over.”

**6 months earlier in Star City...**

“Oh my god, Sara, it’s perfect! When are you going to pop the question?” Zari asks, admiring Sara’s engagement ring for Ava.

“At dinner tonight. But Z, you have to promise me not to tell any of the others. You know how gossip spreads among our crew,” Sara says, snapping the ring box closed and putting it in her pocket. She grabs the binders containing the details on their latest mission in an effort to change the subject.

“Promise not to tell any of the others...what, Sara?” Nate asks as he comes strolling in, eyebrow raised in suspicion.

“Ugh, I knew this would happen,” an exasperated Sara says with an eye roll as she begins handing out binders to her team.

“Knew what would happen?” Ray asks innocently as he and Mick enter the room.

Sara ignores their questions and begins running through the team’s mission for that afternoon, but Zari starts charading out a proposal behind her. “You’re gonna ask ‘Hotpants’ to marry you?” Mick asks between sips of beer. 

Sara whips around to glare at Zari, who shrugs, “Sara this is huge! There’s no way you could expect me to keep this secret from the team.”

“Our moms are making it official,” Nate says enthusiastically as he and Ray exchange high-fives.

“There won’t _be_ any proposal if we don’t complete this mission today,” Sara says sternly to refocus the team.

**Later that night…**

“Babe, I can’t believe you were able to get us reservations here!” Ava squeals between bites of her food. “I’ve been wanting to come here for months!” Sara had managed to get reservations at Star City’s most exclusive tapas restaurant. The pair was enjoying an amazing dinner of cheese and charcuterie, paella, and chef-curated wine pairings.

Seeing how happy Ava is makes Sara glow. She doesn’t think Ava has ever looked more beautiful than she does tonight. Sara just smiles back at Ava as she takes another sip of her wine. “Well you tend to earn a favor or two when you help the mayor expose a voter suppression scandal.”

“Yea, I seem to remember being the one to recommend your team to her, yet, you get all the credit.” Ava feigns indignation as she playfully rolls her eyes. 

“You know she couldn’t tie her shoes without you right? She went through three chiefs-of-staff in three months before hiring you, babe,” Sara says as she reaches for Ava’s hand. They stare giddily at each other for a few seconds before Sara drags Ava out onto the dance floor as the band starts playing “Me Gusta”. Ava pretends to sing along, not knowing a word of Spanish, causing Sara to laugh at her silliness.

The ringing of Ava’s phone brings the two out of their trance. She checks who has the audacity to interrupt their amazing night, and sighs when she realizes who it is. “Babe, I’m so sorry, but I need to take this,” Ava says as she plants a soft kiss on Sara’s lips and slips outside the restaurant. “Seriously, I love you, but sometimes I really hate you,” Ava huffs into her phone, putting extra emphasis on the ‘really’. 

“Check your texts,” comes the cool response. It’s an article from CatCo Media with the headline _Lori Luthor Granted Parole After 10 Years_. Ava couldn’t read anymore. “Th-This is real? You vetted this yourself?” she stammers out.

“Had my best reporter on the story. They’re letting her out tomorrow,” the voice responds, calm and measured, after taking a long sip of her bourbon. 

“I’ll be on the next flight to National City,” Ava whispers as a lone tear rolls down her cheek. 

Sara begins to reach for the ring box as she sees Ava return, but stops when she notices Ava’s demeanor has drastically changed from euphoric to serious. “Everything OK, babe?” she asks, concerned, as Ava approaches their table. 

“To be honest, I think all the food and wine got to me. Would you hate me if we called it an early night?” Ava says through a yawn. 

“Not at all.” Sara gathers their things and they leave the restaurant. _Who was that on the phone? What did they say?_ Those and a million other questions begin swirling in Sara’s head as they make their way home. 

**The next morning...**

Sara awakes to the sunshine streaming in through her blinds. She sleepily reaches out an arm for Ava, but is met with only the empty half of her bed. “Aves?” Sara shouts, a bit more awake now that she doesn’t know where her girlfriend is. Then she sees it. A note on Ava’s pillow. It’s short, only three words. But those three words cut into Sara’s soul, with a hurt she hadn’t felt since Laurel died. She can’t breathe. Tears are streaming down her face. 

“Don’t follow me.”


	2. Undertaker, Pyramid, Scuba Diver

A soft rapping on her LCorp office door shakes Lena from her thoughts. “Come in,” she says, distraction evident in her voice. The door opens and in walks Kara, immediately causing Lena to smile. Things have been awkward between the pair for the past few months as Lena has struggled with Kara not telling her that she is Supergirl for so long. Now that Lena knows the truth, she feels betrayed by someone she thought was her best friend and potentially more. But Lena is so freaked out about Lori’s release from prison that the awkwardness from Kara just doesn’t seem worth it anymore. She wants, no needs her best friend back. “Kara, thanks so much for dropping by. I wanted to tell you in person what a great job you did on your latest article,” Lena says as she stands to hug Kara.

The hug catches Kara off guard, but she leans into it, thinking how great it feels to be in Lena’s embrace after so many months of the two avoiding each other. “Thank you Lena. I know how personal this story is to you, and it means the world to me that you asked me to cover it,” she replies sincerely. “How are you holding up?”

Lena releases a small smile and pulls her glass of bourbon out from behind her computer. Taking a long sip and savoring the numbing sensation, Lena explains, “To be honest I’m a bit of a wreck. I was only 18 when she went to prison, and I always thought she’d be in there for the rest of my life after what she did.” Lena takes another long sip of her bourbon.

Kara grabs Lena’s hand, the one that’s not holding the bourbon glass, and gives it a squeeze. Looking Lena in the eyes, Kara starts, “I know that I’m probably not your favorite person right now, but I’m happy to listen and offer any support I can.”

Lena puts down her glass and gives Kara another hug and a sincere “Thank you.” Just then, there’s a knock at Lena’s office door as Ava steps inside. 

“I’m sorry - I didn’t realize you were in a meeting. I’ll wait outside,” Ava apologizes as she goes to leave, but she’s stopped in her tracks by Lena.

“You will do no such thing.” It comes out harsher and more desperate than Lena intended, but she hasn’t seen her big sister in over ten years, and she’s never needed someone so badly. She turns back to Kara. “Kara, I hate to cut things short, but--”

“Are you Ava?” Kara asks incredulously. After Ava gives a small nod, Kara wraps her up in the warmest hug Ava has ever felt. Realizing Ava has no idea who she is, Kara awkwardly goes to introduce herself, explaining that she wrote the article on Lori’s release. As she heads for the door, Kara offers, “I’m sure you two have a ton to discuss. I’ll leave you to it.” Before closing the door behind her, Kara has a thought. “How would you two feel about attending game night at my place tomorrow night? Lena, I know it’s been a while, but I figured a distraction and having fun with some old friends might be just what you need right now.”

Lena can’t remember the last time she was so excited. Her face lights up, and she looks at Ava who is very confused by the pair’s dynamic. “We’ll be there,” Lena says with a wide smile. “With lots of wine!” she shouts as Kara closes the door behind her.

Ava picks up Lena’s bourbon glass to examine its contents. “Bourbon before noon at the office? Boy, did I set a good example for you,” she says with a small chuckle. 

Lena grabs a glass and starts pouring. Handing it to Ava she jokes, “You have a funny way of asking for what you want.”

Ava gratefully takes the glass and holds it up to clink with Lena before taking a long sip. She puts the glass down and gives Lena the biggest hug she’s ever given anyone. It feels so good to see her sister again after so long. By the time both sisters break away, they both have tears in their eyes. Lena goes to sit at her desk while Ava takes the chair across from her. “So, game night, huh?” Ava asks coyly with a raised eyebrow.

Lena rolls her eyes at the fact that after ten years, all Ava wants to talk about is Lena’s love life. The two spend the rest of the day catching up on their lives since the last time they saw each other. Lena explains to Ava how she and Kara were best friends, or so she thought, and that she used to be a regular at game night, but everything changed a few months prior when Lena found out that Kara had been hiding her secret identity as Supergirl from her. Lena had been hurt and angry for so long, but the news of Lori’s release from prison had put things into perspective. She didn’t want to waste time not being happy without Kara. Ava promises to play wing-woman, which earns her a groan from Lena.

“What about you? You have to catch me up on your life!” Lena exclaims, excited to hear what’s been going on with her sister. “Oh, and start by explaining what you meant last night by ‘Sometimes I really hate you,’ “ she says with an over exaggeration on “really” mocking Ava from the previous night.

Ava instantly sobers as she’s flooded with thoughts of Sara. She reaches into her purse and pulls out a ring box. Lena opens it and can’t take her eyes off the beautifully cut diamond ring. “I was about to ask someone to marry me when you called,” Ava says somberly. Lena reaches out her hand for Ava, squeezing it tight to show her support. “Her name is Sara, and she’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” Ava continues as tears roll down her cheeks. 

“I’m sorry I interrupted you,” she says sadly.

“No, you did me a favor,” Ava says shaking her head. “Lori will use me to hurt Sara, just like she’s always done to all of the people I love. Lori can never know about her.” 

**The next morning…**

Lena is catching Ava up about all of the current projects in development at LCorp and strategies she’s pursuing to keep media relevant at CatCo. “I’m so impressed with what you’ve been able to accomplish,” Ava beams at her sister while the two enjoy their morning coffee. “I don’t know how you manage to do everything on your own.”

“Funny you should say that,” Lena smiles devilishly as she puts her coffee down. 

“OK, I’ve never seen you make that face before, and I hope it’s the last time,” Ava jokes. “I feel like you’re about to tell me your evil plan to take over the world.”

“Wow I went from impressive to evil in 10 seconds flat. That might be a new record,” Lena giggles. “Aves, I want you to join me as co-CEO, for both CatCo and LCorp.”

“Is it too early to start on the bourbon?” Ava half-jokes as she digests Lena’s proposal. “I don’t know Lena. I’m not a businesswoman, and wouldn’t this be nepotism?”

“Nonsense - you’re incredibly smart, and I trust you. What more do I need? I had my assistant draw up the paperwork yesterday,” Lena says as she pulls the packet out of her desk. “Just take a look through these and think it over, is all I ask.” Lena smiles sweetly at Ava, melting her heart.

“That’s the look you gave Mom and Dad before your 16th birthday when you asked for a Porsche!” Ava laughs at how her sister is so easily able to pull her strings. She has to admit, she’s really missed Lena. 

Their banter is interrupted by a knock on Lena’s office door. They exchange a look of confusion as Lena has no meetings on her calendar til later in the day. They stand to greet whomever has arrived, but Ava nearly collapses against Lena when Lori walks into Lena’s office. Lena helps Ava recover her balance, as she glares at Lori. “What the fuck are you doing here?” The harsh tone in Ava’s voice is unlike anything Lena’s heard before, and she’s only sorry she didn’t get the words out first. 

“I deserved that,” Lori says dejectedly as she looks at the floor. 

“You deserve a lot more than that,” Lena seethes through clenched teeth. 

“Look I know that I’ve done terrible, unforgivable things,” Lori starts. “But I’ve spent the last ten years of my life living with that guilt, thinking about what I did to our parents...what I did to you, Ava, and --”

“And what?” Ava harshly cuts her off. “You think just because you feel guilty that makes up for what you did?” Ava walks over to her twin, looks her directly in the eyes and says, “You should be spending the rest of your life in that cell. No amount of guilt or redemption can ever make up for what you took from us.” Lena crosses her arms, reinforcing Ava’s words.

Lori takes a minute to consider her next words. “I knew it wouldn’t happen in one day, but I will prove to you both that I’ve changed. I’m not the same person I was then. In time I hope you will see that.” Satisfied that she said what she needed to, Lori leaves.

Ava lets out a huge breath she didn’t realize she was holding in as Lena wraps her in a comforting hug. “We can switch over to bourbon now,” Lena whispers, eliciting a small smile from Ava.

**Later that evening....**

“So, there’s your batch of potstickers, and the other batch is double the usual size...Kara, who else did you invite tonight?” Alex asks as she and Kara are getting their apartment set up for game night. 

“Lena,” Kara says as she snags a potsticker, for quality assurance of course, and gives Alex a huge smile. “Oh, and her sister, Ava.” 

“Lena is coming to game night??!! Wow, this is the first time in what, 4 months? How did that happen?” Alex has been hoping Kara and Lena could find a way to mend their relationship ever since Lena found out Kara’s secret of being Supergirl. She’s so encouraged by the news that they’re speaking again, and if she’s honest with herself, she misses the Luthor a little too.

“I ran into them at LCorp yesterday, and it just seemed like they could use a distraction from everything with their sister getting released from prison,” Kara explains, doing a final once-over of the apartment before deciding they are ready for guests. A knock at the door draws the sisters’ attention. J’onn and Winn normally just let themselves in, so Kara knows it’s the Luthor sisters. “Welcome to our humble abode, the Danvers Den,” Kara says as she lets Lena and Ava inside, hugging them as they enter the apartment. Ava sets down a tote full of wine and immediately starts taking drink orders. Lena takes the ice cream out of her tote and slides the tubs into the freezer. 

“It’s so great to see you Lena,” Alex says as she hugs the Luthor. Lena forgot how good hugs ran in the Danvers family. It felt so indescribably good to be resuming her friendship with Kara and Alex. “And you must be Ava. It’s great to meet you!” Alex says as she welcomes Ava with a hug.

“Thank you so much for the invite and for hosting! I love your digs,” Ava says as the women make their way over to the couches. 

“Thank you for bringing the wine! That was so clutch, since we are nearly out,” Alex gushes. Kara can tell she’s got a girl crush on Ava, and she’s totally loving seeing this side of her sister. “Ava - how does National City compare to the last time you were here?”

“To be honest I haven’t had a chance to get out and enjoy the city much since I arrived.” Ava turns to Lena and continues, “Someone put me to work immediately and has had me couped up in her office all day.” She sticks out her tongue at Lena who feigns hurt over the allegations. “I’m counting on all of you to make sure I get to see the best parts of the city,” Ava trails off as the door opens with Winn and J’onn letting themselves in.

“Well I think Kara would agree with me that there’s no view of National City that beats the one from the sky,” J’onn says as he settles in and greets everyone. “Lena, you’re a sight for sore eyes. I’m glad you could join us this evening,” he says as he shakes her hand. 

“And you brought your friend who is a full foot taller than me...you shouldn’t have, Lena,” Winn jokes as Ava stands up to greet the guys. 

“It’s great to meet you two. I’m Ava, Lena’s sister,” she says with a smile. “Lena and I brought the booze - what can we get you, gentlemen?” 

Everyone settles in for a night full of Werewolf, Exploding Kittens, and Codenames. For Lena, it feels like she never left the Superfriends. She fits right in with them. Ava feels herself forgetting about Lori and how badly she feels for leaving Sara for the first time in days. It’s just the escape she needed. She makes a mental note to thank Kara personally and do something special for her. 

As the food and wine, not to mention everyone’s energy, begin to wind down, the Superfriends are locked in a close game of Codenames. Alex, Ava, and J’onn have three words to get, while Winn, Lena, and Kara only have one. Ava is thinking of a clue she can give to J’onn and Alex to win this round and claim supremacy for the night. “Hey Lena, what do you say we make this interesting?” Ava asks as she and Lena are both thinking of their next clue. 

“Hey! No talking, you two!” Winn chimes out from the couch.

“No way, we’re overruling you, Winn,” Kara and Alex say in unison. “I need to see where this goes,” says Alex excitedly.

“Interesting...how?” Lena asks after taking a second to think it over.

“You’ve been trash talking all night about your superior Codenames skills,” Ava says with a smirk. “Time to put your money where your mouth is. If we win this round, you have to buy us something.”

Lena looks at their board. Her team only needs one right answer whereas Ava needs three. She hasn’t seen this side of Ava before, and she’s liking it, so she plays along. “OK sis, if your team can get all three words, I’ll buy each of you a…” she pauses to think of something crazy, “...car.”

“Make it a motorcycle,” Alex and Ava say in unison as J’onn and Kara nearly choke on their drinks and Winn’s eyes double. Ava and Alex look at each other and start laughing. 

“J’onn?? You can’t be serious,” Kara asks skeptically, expecting him to jump in as the voice of reason.

“I’m with my team on this one,” he says as he prompts Alex and Ava for cheers.

Still shocked to hear her sister wants a motorcycle, Lena asks, rhetorically, “Any particular bike you’ve had your eyes on?”

“Ducati Diavel 1260,” Alex and Ava say in unison, again. 

J’onn smirks. “I’ll have what she’s having.”

“OK are you done stalling yet, or are you ready with this clue?” Lena asks, anxious to put off talks of anyone getting a motorcycle.

Ava scrunches up her face to make it look like she’s really mulling over her decision. After a few seconds she says, “Great, 4.”

J’onn and Alex look at each other confused. They look at the words, and then the light bulbs start going on. “You scuba dive the GREAT barrier reef, so let’s lock-in ‘scuba diver’.” Alex looks over to J’onn for confirmation, and he gives it with a nod. 

“That’s one. You still have two left,” Lena says, still confident her team will prevail.

J’onn points to “pyramid” saying, “The GREAT Pyramid of Giza” is one of my favorite things on this planet. Let’s lock it in.” Alex nods enthusiastically, and Lena reluctantly puts the blue card over “pyramid.” 

“One left,” Lena says nervously. Her competitive edge starts to show.

J’onn and Alex are stumped. They look at the remaining words, and nothing jumps out to them. Finally, J’onn points to “undertaker,” and Alex is confused. “C’mon Alex. He is a GREAT wrestler!” J’onn exclaims. 

Alex gives J’onn a quizzical look. “Since when do you follow wrestling, J’onn?? Also, does Ava follow wrestling?” The two look at her, both judging to see if she’s the kind of person who likes wrestling and to see if her face will give something away. But she’s a pro, her face blank and emotionless. Alex rolls her eyes. “I swear J’onn if this costs us those bikes…” Alex trails off as she confirms J’onn’s selection of “undertaker.”

Winn and Kara watch Lena very closely to see what the result is. “Well, I guess the only left is to decide which color bikes you want,” Lena says defeatedly, as she puts the blue card over “undertaker.”

“We won??!!” Alex cheers as she wraps J’onn and Ava in a huge group hug. “Ava has earned a permanent seat at game night as far as I’m concerned!”

“Ava, we’ve gotta know, are you a wrestling fan or was that a lucky guess?” Kara asks. 

Ava smirks, thinking about all of Nate and Ray’s conversations of who’s the better wrestler, the Undertaker or the Rock. But she doesn’t want to think about the Legends or Sara. That would ruin what was otherwise a really fun night. She shrugs, “Just got lucky, I guess.” As they start cleaning up, she whispers to Lena, “Make mine white, sis.”


	3. The World’s Ugliest Headphones

“OK, everyone has their assignments for today...Any questions?” Lena asks as she wraps up the daily staff meeting with her CatCo reporters. The room is silent for a minute as the reporters begin to collect their things.

“Is there a reason no one is covering the Society Hill shooting from last night?” Ava asks, surprised no one else has raised any questions.

“The police ruled that self-defense at the scene. Am I missing something, Ava?” Lena’s curious as to why Ava has brought this up after not saying anything during the entire meeting up until that point.

“The victim was an alien, and the officers on scene have well-documented histories of anti-alien activism,” Ava admonishes Lena for not doing more due diligence on the topic, considering what a grisly crime scene it was. 

“Normally the body cameras are used in making a determination at the scene,” Kara chimes in. “I’m sure those were utilized to make the decision?”

“There was a malfunction with the feed,” Ava says, shaking her head. “There’s no footage. It looks like it’s a few cops with an axe to grind.”

“Ava, how do you know all of this?” Not that she doubts her sister, but Ava’s been in town only a few days. _How is she getting this level of intel on a seemingly random crime_ , Lena wonders to herself. 

“I set up a program to cross-reference violent crimes against each precinct’s typical crime rate and filtered for cases where a determination was made within 12 hours without body cam footage,” Ava says, like she’s explaining what she had for breakfast. The room is silent, and she can feel everyone staring at her. “It’s called the Prognosticator. I can include you on the daily summary...I just didn’t want to spam your inboxes,” she finishes quietly.

“Lena do you need my resignation letter now or do I get the full two weeks?” Winn jokes as he picks his jaw up off the floor. 

Lena smirks at her sister’s ingenuity. “This,” she points to Ava, “is why you hire smart people, especially Luthors.” Lena says with a proud smile. “Kara, you’re on this story. I expect a draft by 4.” With that everyone leaves to start working on their stories leaving the Luthor sisters alone. “You didn’t tell me you knew how to do all that! Can you show me?” Lena asks, excited to see her sister in action. 

“We are late for research project reviews at LCorp, which I’m dying to finally see!” Ava says as she collects her purse and coat. “You keep talking up this cool new project you’ve been working on - I can’t wait to see it!” she says, giddy with excitement. “I can show Winn how to do this later.”

“You’re right. I can’t wait to get your take on Project Restore.” Lena and Ava head over to LCorp so Lena can take Ava through her latest project. 

“It looks like the world’s ugliest headphones,” Ava jokes as Lena presents her with the head-gear once they arrive in her lab. 

“There’s just no pleasing you, is there?” Lena says as she rolls her eyes. “I’ll have you know this prototype is built for function, not fashion,” she lectures. “Put it on,” she encourages Ava. 

“Why did I even bother to do my hair today,” Ava jokes under her breath. “Do I do the clip thing under here?” she gestures to what feels like a bike helmet clip as Lena nods.

“OK, and just take a seat right here. You’re taller than most of the people who’ve tested this...I’m going to need more slack in the wires,” Lena takes notes as she hooks up the program. “Here’s that big beautiful brain of yours,” she points to the screen with various shades of gray. To Ava, it looks more like a Rorschach test than her brain. “Just another minute, and we should have access to your--”

“ ‘Make it a motorcycle!’ “ The video from game night starts playing, as the pair get to relive the excitement from the prior weekend’s shenanigans. 

Ava’s face is a mixture of surprise, wonder, and shame. “How did you do that?” she tenses, feeling as though she’s suddenly been exposed. “How far back do you have access? Where is that saved?” Ava is afraid of reliving memories of Sara, especially of her lying and leaving in the middle of the night.

“Easy, twenty questions,” Lena jumps in. “I’m developing this prototype to help people with amnesia to recover their memories. It’s obviously still a work in progress, but I thought you’d want to test it out for yourself. One of the things I’ve been learning as I’ve been working on it is that everyone has memories they aren’t proud of. It’s something that brings people together,” she says as she reaches out to squeeze Ava’s hand. “Nothing is saved by the way. You have to sign a waiver for that.”

Ava relaxes and returns Lena’s squeeze. “Wow, this is amazing. You’re amazing!” She can’t believe what a smart and creative woman Lena has grown up to be. “Let’s not do that again, though,” she says, slipping off the hardware and handing it back to Lena.

“Well it still has a few bugs, and as you pointed out already, it’s not exactly the sexiest piece of tech on the market,” Lena laughs as she explains. “The project is low on funding. I’m counting on a big haul at this weekend’s gala to continue financing. Otherwise, I’ll need to get creative,” she says with a sigh.

Ava’s eyes light up. “A gala? How fancy! Tell me more. Are guests invited?” she asks coyly.

Lena narrows her eyes. “Moving on from your almost fiance that quickly? Yes, guests are allowed,” she pauses uncertain of where her sister is going with this.

“What’s Kara wearing?” Ava asks with a face that says she’s up to no good.

Lena rubs the bridge of her nose with her hand. “I haven’t asked her. You know things have been...difficult lately.”

“You got invited to game night. You bought her sister a motorcycle,” Ava says as she rubs Lena’s shoulders. “You’re both her favorite and least favorite person right now,” Ava chuckles. 

“You’re not letting this go, are you?” Lena asks, already feeling herself giving in to Ava.

“Nope,” Ava says playfully as she sticks her tongue out at Lena, as she heads for the door.

“Where are you going? I still have work to do on the prototype.”

“Go forth and be brilliant, sis. I have a motorcycle date with my game night team,” Ava says excitedly as she leaves Lena in the lab.

**Later that night…**

Ava revs her engine as she approaches J’onn and Alex at the beach. “It’s about time! I was afraid you weren’t going to make it,” Alex greets Ava as she joins the pair. 

“I had no idea my sister is such a workaholic,” Ava jokes. “I’ll have to work on that,” she laughs. 

“We were about to go for a race along the beach,” J’onn gestures to the dirt path a hundred yards away. “Knowing how you like to keep things interesting, you wouldn’t want to make any wagers, would you?” J’onn asks with a smirk.

Ava bites her lip, the wheels in her head turning as she weighs her options. She walks over to J’onn’s bike, takes out the keys, and before he can react, she throws them as far as she can down the beach. “Last one to the diner buys ice cream!” she yells as she races back to her bike. 

“I’ve never seen anyone mess with J’onn like that,” Alex gets out between full belly laughs as she starts up her bike, hot on Ava’s heels. The women dart off in the direction of the diner. Ava takes an early lead, but Alex passes her as the road curves to the left. They both check back for J’onn who’s gaining on them. “Now’s probably a bad time to mention he’s invincible,” Alex yells over the noise of the engines. 

“Now you tell me,” Ava shouts back as she shakes her head. 

Just then J’onn passes both women shouting, “Eat my dust, ladies!”

Alex throttles up into another gear to stick with J’onn while Ava peels off down a side street. It meets up with the dirt road about a half-mile later, giving Ava just enough time to pass both of them and reach the diner first. It’s neck and neck between J’onn and Alex, but she edges him out at the last second. All three take off their helmets and are laughing hysterically. “If that’s...how you treat your teammates...I’d hate to see...how you treat your enemies,” J’onn breathes out between laughs. 

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to get me back for that,” Ava jokes with a wink as they park their bikes and head inside the diner. They spend the rest of the night laughing and joking over ice cream.

**A few days later…**

“Thank you so much for doing lunch with me Kara!” Ava stands to hug the reporter as she approaches their table. It’s a beautiful day outside, and Ava is enjoying getting to spend some of it with one of her new favorite people. 

“Of course! I had been meaning to reach out to you to set up lunch after game night, but you were right on this story about the Society Hill shooting. It’s been keeping me busy for days, with so much new evidence coming to light, since the first article I wrote on it,” Kara lets out a sigh as she reaches for her water glass.

“No shop talk,” Ava jokes. “I asked you here for my own selfish reasons,” she says with a sweet smile. 

“Ladies, have you made any decisions on lunch?” their waiter asks politely.

“You go first - I’ll find something while you order,” Kara offers.

“Can we do the edamame and veggie spring rolls appetizer, and can I get the tuna poke bowl?” Ava asks.

The waiter takes down her order and turns to Kara. “I’ll have the chicken teriyaki bento box, please,” she says as she hands him her menu.

“Excellent. I’ll have the edamame and spring rolls out shortly,” he says as he heads back inside.

Once the two are alone, Ava produces a card from her purse and hands it to Kara. Kara’s a little confused...it’s not her birthday, and not a special occasion. _What does Ava have up her sleeve?_ She wonders.

“Kara, it’s not laced with anthrax. Open it,” Ava says with an eye roll.

There’s a handwritten note, and a voucher with what looks like a dumpling and chopsticks on it. “Is this for a cooking class?” Kara squeals, reading the note.

“Not just any cooking class,” Ava says, excitedly. “You’ll get to learn how to make potstickers from the best ramen chef in the city.” She’s not sure of who’s more excited, her or Kara, and potstickers are literally Kara’s favorite food. 

“Ava, this is too much,” Kara says as she gives Ava a huge hug. 

“Nonsense. You invited a total stranger to the sacred ritual that is game night. It was the least I could do.” Ava is so happy at Kara’s reaction to her gift. “Although, it would mean a lot to me if you’d invite Lena as your date. The class is good for two people, and I don’t cook,” she says with a laugh.

“I knew you had a flaw!” Kara points at her as Ava laughs. “You think she’d say yes?” Her tone becomes serious as she wonders if Lena could stand to be alone with her. Just then Kara’s phone rings. At first she ignores it, but when Ava sees it’s Lena calling, she encourages her to take it. “I’m so sorry - I’ll be back in a sec,” she says, leaving the table for some privacy. “Hey, Lena,” she says casually.

“Kara, I know this is late notice, and I’m sorry to bug you on your lunch break, but,” Lena pauses, working up the nerve to ask Kara, “LCorp has this gala on Friday night, and I was kind of hoping you might want to go with me.” She gets out the last bit as quickly as possible to get to Kara’s rejection quicker.

Kara is quiet for a moment digesting Lena’s proposal. She looks over to Ava who is waving excitedly at her. Then it dawns on her. Someone has been playing matchmaker. Not wanting to keep Lena waiting any longer, Kara responds, “I would love to.”

Lena must’ve played out this conversation in her head a hundred times. And in none of them did Kara say yes. “Fantastic! Ava and I need to be there by 8 sharp, so come on over anytime before 7:30.”

“Can’t wait,” Kara says as they hang up. She makes her way back over to the table where their food has just arrived. Ava is a giggly mess, eagerly awaiting Kara’s update on the gala. Kara takes a bite of her California roll, savoring making Ava wait to hear the news. She’s about to go for a second piece when Ava grabs her chopsticks and stares at her expectantly. “I’ll be at your place at 6:30 on Friday night,” Kara says with a huge smile.


	4. Initiate Phase 2

**Meanwhile back in Star City...**

_ Splat _ . The sound of the punching dummy’s head hitting the floor was the first sound to break up Sara’s grunts, punches, and kicks in over an hour as she was deep into another session of taking out her anger and frustration at Ava on the dummy. “That’s the third one in two weeks,” Zari says with a sigh. She and the rest of the Legends have been worried about Sara ever since Ava’s sudden disappearance. 

“Not to mention the two punching bags and countless chairs,” Nate says, his brow furrowed in concern. 

“I just wish there was something we could do to help her,” Ray offers. “She barely sleeps. She’s either kicking the crap out of all of our training equipment or drowning her sorrows in a bottle of scotch.”

“If ‘Hotpants’ ever shows her face around here again...” Mick finishes his comment by squeezing his empty beer can as hard as he possibly can. 

Just then Sara comes into their meeting room, drenched in sweat and breathless from her workout. “What are you all staring at? Don’t you have work to do?” she asks, not really angry with her team, but needing a further release of her feelings. Ray, Mick, and Nate quickly leave before Sara has a chance to yell at them further.

“Sara, I just found something this morning that I think you should see,” Zari calls her over to her computer as Sara grabs a water bottle from the fridge. Zari has been utilizing her technical skills to search for any indications of where Ava might have gone. She learned Ava had tendered her resignation with the mayor immediately, so that was a dead-end. But a news report surfaced that morning that caught her eye.

“Lori Luthor Granted Parole After 10 Years,” Sara reads the headline aloud. The sound of a loud clang fills the room as her water bottle falls to the floor when Sara sees Lori’s picture. “Ava has a twin?” Sara asks, in disbelief. 

“Yea, an  _ evil _ twin by the sound of it,” Zari says, encouraging Sara to keep reading. 

“She killed Ava’s parents,” Sara says quietly. _ I was ready to marry this woman, yet she’s kept so much of her past a secret from me _ . “I don’t understand,” Sara says as her eyes start to water. “She knows all about my past, my sister’s death, my dad…” she trails off as Zari envelops her in a warm hug. “How could she not tell me any of this?”

“The article is from the day Ava left,” Zari says, pointing to the publish date on her screen. “Why don’t you head to National City and find out for yourself?”

With a newfound sense of purpose, Sara dries her tears and heads for the door. “I’m taking the next flight out. You’re in charge.” As Sara is about to head out, she turns around to add, “Z, thanks for finding this. I really needed this.”

Zari gives her a small smile as Sara heads to pack and go to the airport.

**Undisclosed location near National City...**

“Don’t smile like that - it makes you seem even more creepy than usual,” Lori says between sips of her drink as Damien Darhk looks at her, grinning like the Cheshire cat. 

Ignoring her, he explains “We just got a ping off an IP address in Star City for the article about your release. Zari is no doubt sharing her discovery with Sara, who will be here before we know it. Everything is going according to plan,” he says as he clinks glasses with her and takes a long sip of his tequila. 

“Yea, things are just peachy,” Lori says sarcastically. “I always wanted to spend my time in a psychopath’s lair. Really love what you’ve done with the place, by the way. You hit up the dungeon section of Pottery Barn?”

“Gee, a guy arranges for a gal’s release from prison, and this is the thanks he gets?” Damien feigns hurt at Lori’s words. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Lori says as she plants a kiss on Damien’s lips. He leans into it, until they both need a break for air. “I’m just anxious to get on with everything. I’ve spent the last ten years alone, thinking of how to make my sisters suffer.”

“Patience, my dear,” he says as he kisses her again. “Let’s review our plan for the gala one more time.”

“We have two goals for the night, and Sara is instrumental in both,” Lori explains. “I’ll use her desire to see Ava again to cause her to question if she’s talking to me or Ava. Later, I’ll arrange for her and Ava to be in the blast radius when the bomb you planted goes off, so that I can come across like the changed, new version of Lori who cares about her sister. Before long, Sara won’t know who’s who, and she’ll help convince Lena and Ava to give me access to LCorp’s offices.”

“Initiate Phase 2,” Damien says giddily as they clink glasses again.


	5. Happy Hunting

“We are not decent yet!” Ava yells playfully as she hears the doorbell ringing. Not wanting to keep Kara waiting, she throws on a towel and lets her in. “As you can see, we are running a bit behind schedule,” she says as she closes the door behind Kara. “There’s a second bathroom down that hallway, so at least one of us will be ready on time,” she laughs as she points across the penthouse. 

“This view!” Kara gushes, speechless by the floor-to-ceiling windows in their living room that offer an amazing view of the city. 

“Oh yea, speaking of great views, you still owe me an aerial tour of the city. I’ll be collecting on that promise soon, Supergirl,” Ava says with a wink at Kara before heading back to continue getting ready for the gala.

After some fighting over hair products, Ava and Lena finally emerge from their side of the penthouse to join Kara in the open concept living room and kitchen area. Stunned at how beautiful Kara looks, Lena blurts out, “Darling, you look amazing!”  _ Did I just say ‘Darling’? _ Lena freezes.

_ Did she just say ‘Darling’? _ Kara and Ava are both thinking simultaneously.  _ Damn I knew she had it bad for this woman _ , Ava thinks to herself. 

Kara is wearing a strapless red cocktail dress and stilettos that perfectly accentuate her toned legs. Her hair is in a braided up-do that’s causing Lena to hallucinate inappropriate things she’d like to do to her neck. “You look amazing yourself,” Kara beams, admiring the very large cutout across the back of Lena’s floor-length black dress. 

“Sheesh you two, get a room already,” Ava breaks them out of their trance, causing both women to blush. “And let’s be honest, I look hotter than both of you,” she teases as she sticks out her tongue at Kara and Lena. Ava’s wearing a floor-length slate blue dress, which perfectly matches her eyes. Her hair is down in loose waves and pulled off to one shoulder. She brings over a bottle of champagne and three flutes. Popping off the cork, she fills each glass halfway and passes one to Kara and Lena. “Happy hunting tonight, ladies,” she toasts as they all clink glasses and enjoy the bubbly before heading out.

After a quick ride, the trio exits their limo and walks up the stairs of the art museum to the entrance of the gala. Kara has never felt more like a rockstar as they walk down the red carpet, with photographers flashing their cameras to get a shot of the three beautiful women. They find a standing table inside, and Kara goes to grab drinks at the bar. “So you’re going to take the Wilson’s, and I’ll take the Peterson’s, right?” Ava asks, wanting to make sure she doesn’t let Lena down with their fundraising targets. 

“That’s right - you remember the Peterson’s daughter was in that terrible car accident I was telling you about? She’s lost a huge chunk of her long-term memories, and the family could really benefit from Project Restore,” Lena explains as Kara returns with their drinks, three more glasses of champagne. “You’re going to be great, Ava,” Lena says, trying to give her sister a confidence boost. “Just be your amazing, charming self, and they’ll be eating out of the palm of your hand,” she laughs.

Buoyed by her sister’s support, Ava takes a sip of her champagne and heads over to speak with the Peterson’s, leaving Lena and Kara a chance to talk. Kara leads Lena out onto the dance floor to slow dance to the piano solo that just started. “I’m really glad you asked me to join you tonight,” Kara says after a minute of the pair just moving to the music.

Lena’s on cloud nine. She’s been wishing for things to be like this between her and Kara for so long, that she’s afraid she’s going to wake up and have it all be a dream. “I’m really glad you said yes. I’m sorry for how I acted after finding out about...you know,” Lena makes a flying gesture, not wanting to say Kara is Supergirl in public.

This causes Kara to chuckle before turning serious again to explain, “You had every right to be upset. I’m the one who shouldn’t have lied to you for so long.” Kara needs Lena to know how sincere she is about realizing her mistake.

“We’ve both kept things from each other, and we’ve both done things we’re not proud of,” Lena starts. “How about if, starting right now, we promise to always tell each other the truth, even if it’s hard?” Lena looks at Kara expectantly, nervous about her response.

Kara leans in to give Lena a soft kiss. It only lasts a second, and then she’s looking into Lena's eyes again. “Seal it with a kiss?” she says with a small laugh. Lena smiles as she and Kara continue to sway to the band. After a minute, Kara remembers the cooking class Ava gifted her. “So, your sister got me into this cooking class with one of the best ramen chefs in National City,” Kara starts, a little nervous. “I have two tickets. Any chance you’d want to come with me?”

Lena gives her a huge smile. “It’s a date,” she says, pulling Kara closer to her. 

While Lena and Kara are happily dancing the night away in the ballroom, Sara makes her way towards the tall blonde in the green gown at the bar. Tapping her on the shoulder, she slaps the woman across the face when she turns towards her. The woman is unfazed and rather amused by Sara’s antics. Gently rubbing her cheek, she signals the bartender to get her a fresh drink. “I’m sure I deserved that,” she says, admiring Sara’s floor-length red gown. “How can I ever make it up to you?” she flirts.

“You can start by explaining to me why you left so abruptly!” Sara fumes. “I’ve been worried sick about you for weeks!”

“Feel better now that that’s off your chest?” the woman asks calmly.

“A little,” Sara huffs, folding her arms. Thinking she’s never seen someone look so sexy, the woman leans in and kisses Sara, who initially resists, but eventually deepens the kiss, closing her eyes. As they break away, Sara feels very confused about the whole situation, doubting whether that was in fact Ava. When she opens her eyes, Sara finds that the woman is gone, so she goes to order a drink from the bartender.

Across the room, tears well up in Ava’s eyes. Seeing Sara kiss Lori feels like a punch to her gut, and for a moment, she feels like the wind’s been knocked out of her. As hard as it was to leave Sara the way she did, watching her kiss another woman, her own twin no less, is a hundred times harder. Ava feels more resolve than ever to convince Sara to leave National City and stay away from her. The thought of what Lori could do to hurt her and Sara sends a chill down her spine. 

Ava takes a deep breath and heads to the bar to talk to Sara, who gives her an incredibly confused expression as she sees Ava approaching. “What the hell, Sara? I told you not to come after me!” Ava admonishes her when she reaches the bar.

“Oh no, you don’t get to be mad at me, not after what you did,” Sara says angrily waving her finger at Ava. 

As Sara takes a long sip of her scotch, Ava uses the opportunity to jump in. “I don’t know how you found me, but you need to leave. Tonight,” she says sternly. 

Sara is about to respond when a huge explosion rocks the building. Debris is everywhere, and the force of the blast knocks out both Ava and Sara. Sara is slumped against the bar, and Ava is lying nearby, a table having fallen on top of her.

Lori comes running in to check on the pair. She goes to Sara first, saying her name and rubbing her face in an attempt to revive her. After a few seconds Sara comes to, disoriented. Seeing the green in the woman’s gown, she realizes it’s Lori and starts pushing her away. “Where’s Ava?” Sara asks, but it comes out as more of a cough as she’s inhaled a fair amount of dust and smoke. 

Lori starts looking around and spots Ava. She attempts to move the table off of her, but it’s too heavy. Seeing Lori struggling, Sara rushes over to help her. With their combined strength, they manage to get the table off of Ava, and Sara tries to revive her. She softly runs her thumb across Ava’s cheek imploring her to open her eyes.

Meanwhile back in the main ballroom Kara, who has now changed into Supergirl, is able to mostly shield everyone from the explosion. Lena calls 911 to get an ambulance over to attend to the guests who have some minor scrapes and bruises. She scans around for Ava, but starts to worry when she can’t find her. Just when she’s about to ask Kara to look for her, Lori runs up to them. Lena is confused by the green dress, but just for a second. “What the hell are you doing here?” she spits out the words.

“Lena, I know you’re mad at me, but now is not the time,” Lori says, her tone serious. “Ava’s hurt - I need you to come with me.” They follow Lori to the bar where Sara is still unsuccessfully trying to revive Ava. 

“A-Ava?” Lena asks, tears in her eyes. Kara does a quick x-ray assessment, then squeezes Lena’s hand to offer her support.

“She’s alive, but we need to get her to a doctor,” Kara says, leaving Lena’s embrace to head towards Ava. 

“I’ll call an ambulance,” Lori offers.

“No, she’ll be better off at the DEO.” Kara cuts her off.

Sara puts up a hand to keep Kara back as she approaches. “The DEO? Look, I don’t know who you people are, but Lori’s right, Ava needs to go to a hospital.” Sara says defiantly. 

Lena gestures to Kara to take Ava. “Hospitals mean paperwork and questions that neither I nor my sister need right now,” Lena sighs. Kara picks up Ava, bridal style, careful not to jostle her too much. “You can ride with me. I assume you’re Sara?” Lena questions as Kara takes off with Ava in her arms. A speechless Sara begins putting the pieces together, remembering reading about Lena in the article Zari found. 

Forgetting all about Lori, Sara joins Lena as she heads for her limo. She dials Alex as they leave what’s left of the museum. “Alex, Supergirl is on her way to you now with Ava. There was an explosion at the gala tonight,” Lena explains, doing her best to remain calm, but the worry in her voice is evident. “She was unconscious,” Lena replies once hearing from Alex. “Besides a concussion, I’m not sure what other injuries she might have.” Alex confirms they’re ready for Ava, and Lena thanks her before hanging up as she and Sara slip into the car.

A forgotten Lori wanders out of the museum, shooting a quick text to Damien.  _ Phase 2 complete. _

Knowing that Ava is in rough shape, Kara does her best to fly as quickly as she can, while keeping her as comfortable as possible. “I know I promised you an aerial tour of the city, but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” she whispers sadly as they approach the DEO headquarters.


	6. Some Alien Hunter Place

Kara lands at the DEO with a still unconscious Ava in her arms. She gently places Ava on the gurney while Alex and the other doctors begin assessing her condition. As Alex works with her team to determine the extent of Ava’s injuries, all Kara can focus on is Lena. She’d been through so much in the past few months, and it seemed tonight she was finally starting to feel real happiness again. She takes one last look at Ava as Alex’s team moves her out of the atrium and into an exam room.

“Where is she?” demands Sara as she and Lena enter the DEO. “And what is this place?”

“She’s with Director Danvers and the medical team,” Kara explains calmly, directing Sara to look in the exam room, where she sees a bunch of people poking and prodding Ava. “She’s the best doctor in the city. Believe me, Ava is in good hands.”

“The DEO is kind of like the FBI but specifically for operations involving aliens and other extra-normal beings,” Lena explains, as Sara looks around the building. “Alex is the director and can take care of Ava in a way that won’t arouse suspicion to the public.” She rubs Sara’s shoulder gently. “We don’t know anything about who was responsible for the explosion tonight - someone could’ve been trying to hurt her. Bringing her here protects her privacy.” A lone tear falls from Lena’s right eye as she thinks about the possibility of someone intentionally trying to harm her sister.

Sara is still trying to process all of the new information she’s gotten about Ava in the past 24 hours. “You’re the one who called her that night,” she directs at Lena. 

Lena nods. “Sara, I know you have a lot of questions,” she starts as Sara crosses her arms. “I think it’s important you hear the answers from Ava. I understand she may not have been completely honest with you about her past, but she deserves the opportunity to explain her actions.” 

Sara shifts from Lena to Kara. “I don’t just have a lot of questions for Ava. What is a Supergirl?” she asks, eyebrows raised, to Kara who is still in her suit.

Lena and Kara both smile. It’s been a while since Kara has had to explain being Kryptonian to anyone. “Well you already know I can fly,” Kara says playfully as she zooms around the room, trying to add some light to what’s been a dark night so far. “I was born on the planet Krypton, which doesn’t exist anymore. I have super strength,” she says, lifting Sara and Lena up with each arm. “I can freeze things with my breath, and I can shoot lasers out of my eyes. Did I miss anything, Lena?”

“I think those are your greatest hits,” she says with a smile, happy that Kara could provide a much-needed distraction for a few minutes.

Just then, Alex emerges from the exam room, and Lena and Sara race over to her. “She’s going to be fine,” Alex starts, as the worry on both of their faces eases. “She does have a concussion, but we aren’t seeing any major swelling in her brain, and tests so far have come back negative for any kind of nerve damage. I will need to run some additional tests once she’s awake.” Lena, Sara, and Kara all let out big sighs. Alex continues, “She also suffered two broken ribs, which means she’s going to need to take it easy for at least the next few weeks.”

“Can I see her?” Sara asks tentatively.

Alex nods, directing her to the entrance to Ava’s room. “She’s sleeping now, but I expect she’ll be awake soon.” Sara nods and steps inside. 

Lena gives Alex a huge hug, then she starts crying. “Hey, she’s going to be OK,” Alex says, reassuringly. 

“I know, and thank you for taking care of her. And thank you for getting her here so quickly,” she says, turning to grab Kara’s hand to give it a squeeze. Wiping a few tears away, she continues, “It’s just that, a month ago she was a complete stranger to me, and now, I can’t imagine not having her in my life.”

Kara wraps up Lena in her cape. “Luckily she’s not going anywhere,” she whispers softly in Lena’s ear.

Sara closes the door to Ava’s room and grabs her hand as she sits next to her bed. She can’t help but think how peaceful Ava looks, bringing a smile to Sara’s face as it reminds her of how much she loves waking up next to her in the morning. “You better be OK, you jerk,” she says softly with a half-smile. “I’m not done yelling at you yet.” Sara intertwines her fingers with Ava’s as she begins to drift off to sleep herself.

Sometime later Sara can feel the faint pressure of someone gently squeezing her hand. She’s immediately awake and looking at Ava for further confirmation she’s waking up. Ava’s eyes flutter open, and she looks over at Sara, getting lost in her deep blue eyes. For a second Ava lets the pain of the past few weeks melt away as she focuses on Sara, but the harshness of the room’s lighting is bringing on a headache she can’t ignore. “Lights,” she rasps out, suddenly very aware of how dry her mouth is. The crinkling of her brow cues Sara, as she turns off the lights in the room and retrieves a cup of water. 

“Where are we?” Ava asks, her voice sounding closer to normal after drinking the water from Sara. 

“The DEO. It’s some alien hunter place,” Sara says with a shrug as she tucks a loose strand of Ava’s hair behind her ear. She gives Ava a half-smile. “You haven’t started yelling at me yet, so either you’ve completely forgotten who I am, or you’ve realized that I was right to come here,” she challenges with an arched brow. 

Ava sighs. She’s too tired to fight with Sara, and the spinning of the room isn’t helping either. She just needs to know one thing before she tells Sara to leave again. “How far into the kiss did you realize she wasn’t me?”

Sara rolls her eyes, not giving Ava a chance to feel sorry for herself. “You know I slapped her before she kissed me, right?”

Ava definitely missed that part of their interaction. She puts a hand up to block her face asking Sara, “So, you got that out of your system?” Her face inadvertently forms a small smile as she teases Sara.

“Mind if I have a few minutes with Ava?” Alex asks, entering the room. 

“I’ll be outside.” Sara reluctantly lets go of Ava’s hand and makes her way back out to the atrium to find Lena is there with a coffee for her. She thanks her and lets her know Ava is awake.

“Any dizziness? Headaches?” Alex asks as she runs through her post-concussion protocols. 

“Yes and yes,” Ava responds softly, rubbing her temples. “And can you turn down the lights when you’re finished?”

Alex walks over to turn down the lights as she makes notes in Ava’s chart. Satisfied with the results of her tests, she explains to Ava what happened, and that she’ll need to take it easy for a while. “Motorcycling is out for at least a month,” she jokes, attempting to lighten the mood. 

“When can I go home?” Ava muses to herself that it’s weird to think of Lena’s penthouse as home already, but it’s the place she feels safest right now. 

“Today,” Alex says, finishing up her notes. “On one condition.”

“Anything,” Ava answers, desperate to get out of there.

“You check in with me every day for the next two weeks, and you call me the minute your dizziness or headaches get worse.” Ava nods, knowing it’s a mandate, not a request.

**Later that night…**

Lena and Ava are relaxing on their couch, the only light illuminating the living room coming from a couple of candles. “I don’t remember your shoulders being this comfy,” Ava says through a yawn as her head rests on Lena’s shoulder. A soft knock cuts through the quiet of their night. “My pillow,” Ava whines as Lena makes her way to the door to see who’s interrupting them.

“Sara?!’ a startled Lena says upon opening the door. “It’s late,” she says quietly. “Can this wait until tomorrow?”

“She has to be on a plane tomorrow,” Ava says standing, still a little shaky on her feet. “It’s OK, Lena.” She invites Sara to come sit with her on the couch as Lena heads back to her room, not totally comfortable leaving her sister, knowing where this conversation is likely to go.

Sara sits down next to Ava, releasing a heavy sigh. “It might have been easy for you to just get on a plane and forget me, but it’s not that easy for me.” Ava can’t bear to look Sara in the eyes, knowing she deserves to hear that. Not letting Ava off the hook, Sara reaches her hand under her chin, turning her face up to meet hers. “I know you’re worried about Lori, but have you ever considered that maybe she has changed?” Ava is about to interject, but Sara continues. “She probably saved your life last night after the explosion. You were pinned under one of the tables, and she helped me get you out. She also brought Lena and Supergirl to you.”

Ava shakes her head in confusion, immediately regretting the headache that comes from the movement. The thought of Lori doing anything to help her was just so far outside anything she’d ever experienced with her twin before. “Sara, I know you read that article, but you have no idea what she’s capable of. She’ll use us to hurt each other until..” Ava can’t finish the thought out loud, her eyes watering and lower lip trembling at the thought of Lori hurting Sara.

Sara plants a soft kiss on Ava’s forehead. “Well, she can’t hurt me. And as long as I’m around, she’s not hurting you. And if she really has changed, do you really want to waste more time being upset with her? If I ever got a second chance with Laurel—“

“She’s not the same as Laurel!” Ava hates bringing up Sara’s sister, but the comparisons between Sara’s relationship with Laurel and Ava’s with Lori just aren’t on the same level. “Laurel didn’t kill your parents right in front of you.” Sara reaches out to hold Ava’s hand, but she waves her away. “Laurel never tried to kill you.”

“We still had problems, Ava!” Sara shouts back, not liking where this is going. She hates fighting with Ava. “We both hurt each other, and Damien killed her before we were able to work through those problems.” She heads for the door knowing they aren’t going to make any more progress tonight. “If I ever got another day with Laurel, I sure as hell wouldn’t spend it rehashing the past.” She closes the door behind her, leaving Ava alone in the dimly lit room.

“For the record,” Ava begins sadly to only the empty room, “leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” 


	7. Vincere est Vivere

Alex finishes changing into her workout gear, intent on getting in a training session before formally starting work for the day. She’s anxious to marshal the DEO to uncover the truth about what happened at the gala the previous week. Normally it wouldn’t be the type of situation that would fall under DEO jurisdiction, but recently there had been an increase in anti-alien activity in National City, punctuated by the recent Society Hill murder. Complicating matters, this case is personal for Alex. In a short period of time she’s grown attached to both Luthor sisters and wants to catch the assholes responsible.

She heads over to the training room, excited to work out some of her frustrations, but she’s surprised to find the lights are on already. Alex has been following the same routine for a while - heading to the DEO for 5am training sessions before work. This is the first time someone has beaten her there. Opening the door, she sees a short blonde on the salmon ladder a full rung higher than Alex’s personal best. The woman hangs there for a minute before attempting the next rung up but falters. She lands, graceful as a cat, on the mat below, out of breath, her skin glistening with a fresh sheen of sweat.

“Hey Director,” she says playfully as she goes to grab a glass of water. 

“Sara, this building is for DEO personnel only,” Alex says, with a confused expression. “How did you even get in here?” 

Sara smirks. “A magician never reveals her secrets. Plus, you have the best training room in National City.” Sara looks Alex over, trying to decide if she’ll kick her out or not. “Would you, uh, want to go a couple rounds...Director?”

“Well, I haven’t had my coffee yet, but that sounds like a better way to kick off my day,” Alex says, earning a grin from Sara at her pun. She assumes her fighting stance, knees bent, feet ready to move. Sara charges at her, throwing a punch towards Alex’s head, which she easily dodges. The pair exchange various punch and kick attempts, until Alex sees an opening to get Sara on the ground. Sara over commits on a kick-out, landing with her body weight too far forward. Alex attempts to flip Sara, who uses her own momentum against her, pinning Alex. “You’re not even out of breath,” Alex says in disbelief between gasps. 

Sara shrugs, removing her body weight from Alex, when Alex kicks up at Sara, who narrowly avoids her attempt. Sara jumps up for one of the lower rungs on the salmon ladder and swings her body around to land a kick at Alex’s head, but she overshoots her, and Alex manages to tackle her to the mat this time. “Damn, I’m used to pulling that one on Ava, but she’s considerably taller than you. I would’ve been impressed to see her outmaneuver that,” Sara says with a smirk. 

They continue sparring for some time, both happy to have a worthy opponent, until Alex’s phone starts ringing. “Director Danvers,” she answers, completely out of breath. “Understood, I’ll be up in 5.” Turning to Sara, “I haven’t had this much fun in a while, but duty calls.” 

Sara follows Alex up to the main briefing area, where Supergirl and Winn are waiting for her. “You found something?” Alex asks, approaching them. Supergirl and Winn look at Sara, who doesn’t move, then at Alex, who turns around to face Sara. “Sara, you’re welcome to spar with me again tomorrow, but this is official DEO business.”

“What kind of lead? Is this about the gala explosion?” she ignores Alex’s attempts to politely get her to leave. If any of them think Sara isn’t going to help figure out who hurt Ava, they’re welcome to force her to leave, if they can. 

Alex sees the determined look in Sara’s eyes, understanding how far she will go to protect Ava.  _ Here we go again _ , she thinks to herself. With a loud sigh, Alex relents, addressing Supergirl and Winn, “She’s part of our team now. Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of her. Now, what she said - what kind of lead?”

Winn directs them over to his monitor, pulling up a photo of a document with the gala’s guest list and hand-written scratches, noting suspected alien observations about several of the guests. “Where did you find this?” Alex asks, trying to decipher some of the notes.

“There’s this guy, uhhh Chris...Wentworth,” Winn explains. “He has a public anti-alien YouTube channel where he posts videos of himself uncovering alien conspiracy theories.” 

“Wow people have a lot of time on their hands,” Sara says with a sigh. 

“In his latest video he goes through the document to justify this group’s bombing of the gala. They’re called…” he pauses to look up the name in his notes, “Vincere est Vivere.” Not knowing a word of Latin, the three women look at him to translate. “To conquer is to live,” he explains. 

“What do we know about this group?” Sara asks. “Besides the fact that they’re dorks who live in their parents’ basements?”

“Nothing,” Winn says, disappointment evident in his tone. “They have an internal site, but it’s credential protected. I’ve been trying to hack in for a while, but the encryption is...sophisticated. I’ll keep trying though.”

“How do you think this Wentworth guy would’ve known about them?” Alex asks. 

A smirk spreads across Sara’s face. “Looks like we’re going on a field trip, ladies.” 

**Across town at CatCo...**

As the daily CatCo staff meeting wraps up, Lena watches everyone leave the room except Ava, who’s been unusually silent throughout the meeting. She takes a seat next to Ava, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m just waiting for the room to stop spinning,” Ava says softly, her gaze unfocused. 

“Come with me,” Lena says, helping Ava to her feet and sliding an arm behind her back, supporting her body weight as they make their way to Ava’s office. She helps Ava lie down on the couch in the corner of the room, then goes to turn off the lights and draw the blinds closed. “Why don’t you let me take you home?” Lena asks, laying a blanket over her sister. 

Ava closes her eyes, hoping the world around her will steady. She takes a deep breath, but her ribs instantly protest the action. Seeing her grimace, Lena sits next to her as she starts to gently massage the back of Ava’s neck. She instantly relaxes, having forgotten Lena used to do that for her when they were kids whenever she was sick, scared, or upset. “If I go home, who’s going to drink bourbon with you?” Ava says softly, eliciting a smile and an eye roll from Lena. “You shouldn’t have to do this by yourself, Lena.”

“My next meeting isn’t until the afternoon,” Lena offers, her hand still massaging Ava’s neck. “Why don’t I stay here with you for a bit.” 

“Don’t let me stop you from being brilliant,” Ava says with a yawn as she begins to nod off to sleep. Not long after, she begins mumbling in her sleep. Lena doesn’t think much of it, until she gets louder and more coherent. “No, Sara...told you not to come..why couldn’t you stay in Star City...where you were safe…” Ava lets out a whimper and opens her eyes, looking up at Lena’s concerned expression. 

“It’s OK,” Lena says reassuringly, placing her hand on Ava’s cheek. “You were having a nightmare, but it’s over now.”

Tears start to form in Ava’s eyes as she recalls the dream to Lena. “Sara was at the gala. I was angry at her for following me here. Then Lori showed up and shot her. She died in my arms, Lena,” Ava says sadly as Lena wraps her up in a hug. “It felt so real.”

“Sara’s OK,” Lena reminds her. “She’s at the DEO with Alex.” She wipes away Ava’s tears and brings her some water to help calm her down.

“Thank you.” They sit in silence for a few minutes before Ava asks, “What happened to the rest of the guests at the gala? Was anyone else hurt?”

“Nothing major. Supergirl managed to protect us. Our funding projects took a major hit though. Turns out people aren’t in much of a giving mood after nearly being blown up,” Lena says with a sigh. 

“What does that mean for Project Restore?” Ava asks, disappointed she was unable to help Lena.

“We’ll just have to get creative,” Lena says, not wanting her sister to worry. “We still have some time to make things work.”

“Speaking of making things work,” Ava starts with an arched eyebrow, “how did things go with you and Kara at the gala?”

Lena blushes as she recalls dancing with Kara just a few nights ago. “I think we’re finally ready to put the pain of the last few months behind us, and…move on, together.” A part of her feels guilty that things are going so well for her and Kara when Ava is so torn up about Sara. 

“Tell me more about you and Kara,” Ava says, happy to see Lena so content. They stay like that for a while, with Lena telling Ava all about the dancing and kiss she shared with Kara.

**Undisclosed location in National City…**

“Any problems?” Lori asks as Damien enters the building, using a rag to wipe off his hands. 

“Not at all,” he says with a haunting look of delight. “By the time those idiots find Mr. Irving, they’ll have no reason to deduce his death was anything other than a suicide.” 

“Can I see the site?” Lori asks excitedly, rewarding his hard work with a long, sloppy kiss. 

“Of course, my dear,” Damien replies after the two break apart for air. He pulls up Mr. Irving’s site devoted to anti-alien activism. “Here,” he points to the video feed, “is where you can find my recording of the explosion, with him taking credit for it.”

“Vincere est Vivere. Who says Latin is a dead language?” she asks rhetorically. “Not bad,” Lori says, assessing the video’s quality for authenticity. “And I’m supposed to, what, say that I came across this site during my daily Buzzfeed browsing?” she asks sarcastically. 

Damien lets out a chilling snicker. “Just make sure when you help those idiots search for clues you check the trashcan on the east side of Mockingbird Lane.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” Lori gives him a mocking salute. “This better work.”

“Stick to the plan, and Lena, Ava, and Sara won’t know what hit them. Are you ready for tomorrow?” Damien asks, fixing a fresh glass of tequila on the rocks. 

Lori smiles, devilishly, before pulling Damien towards her, tugging his shirt and belt off. “The real question is, are they ready for me,” she husks.


	8. Martian TLC

Supergirl kicks in the apartment door as Sara and Alex follow her into the unit. A tall lanky man is cowering in the corner of the kitchen, afraid of what Supergirl’s intentions are towards him. “I’ve d-done nothing w-wrong,” he manages to get out. “W-What do you w-want with me?”

“Tell me about Vincere est Vivere,” Kara says in her most intimidating Supergirl voice.

“I d-don’t know w-who they are,” he stutters out. 

“The video on your YouTube channel says differently,” Alex says. “The one where you go through conspiracy theories about the guests at last week’s LCorp gala.”

“I’ve j-just been on their s-site, but I don’t know w-who they are,” Wentworth offers a crinkled up piece of paper, still terrified of the trio. “T-This is all I h-have.”

Alex pulls out her phone and texts Winn the info, before calling him, “Any luck?”

“Negative, I’m getting an error message. The credentials probably expire after a certain time period. These are several days old,” Winn says when they don’t work.

Alex lets out a sigh, putting her phone away. “Where did you get this?” Sara asks, grabbing the note.

“I t-told you, from the s-site admins,” Wentworth says, confused. “T-They don’t show up in p-person.”

“No, I mean where were you when you got this?” Sara asks. Supergirl takes a step closer to him to accelerate his answer.

“T-There’s a coffee shop on M-Mockingbird Lane, near the train station. T-That’s where they make the exchange.” Sara takes a step towards him this time, her expression fierce and unrelenting. “That’s all I know, I s-swear,” Wentworth whines.

“We got what we came for, let’s get out of here,” Alex says, grabbing Sara’s arm as the trio heads out.

**Meanwhile at LCorp...**

“Are there any other projects you have in development that you could move money from?” Ava asks, examining LCorp’s R&D finances. 

Lena sighs, running a hand through her hair. “Not that I’ve found. The ones that aren’t as far along have funding specifically earmarked, either via contracts with the donors or directly through our subcontractors. And the ones that are farther along have vendor and research grants already attached to them.”

“Sheesh,” Ava says. “I thought for sure the Peterson’s were going to commit, but I guess I can understand priorities changing after what happened,” she’s disappointed she wasn’t able to help Lena, but she’s determined they’ll put their heads together and find a way. 

Completely absorbed in their brainstorming session, Ava and Lena practically jump when they hear Lori knocking on Lena’s office door. Ava is still shaken at the sight of her after her nightmare the previous day and the memory of Lori kissing Sara at the gala. 

“Sorry,” Lori says apologetically. “I didn’t mean to startle you two.”

“What do you want?” Ava says shortly. She would’ve folded her arms over her chest in an attempt to be more imposing, but the lingering pain in her ribs makes that difficult at the moment. 

Lori looks down for a moment, working the pair to make them think she really is bothered by Ava’s tone. “I just wanted to see how you’re doing,” she says, making eye contact with Ava. “You were in pretty rough shape the last time I saw you, and, well I’m glad to see you’re OK.” Ava narrows her eyes at Lori, trying to get a read on what her real intentions are. After she’s given no response by either of her sisters, Lori turns around and slowly makes her way to the door.

Lena glares at Ava, gesturing towards Lori. Catching Lena’s drift, Ava rolls her eyes. “Wait,” she starts reluctantly, causing Lori to pause and turn back around to face her sisters. “I heard you were pretty instrumental in my rescue. Thank you.” It’s painful for Ava to get the words out, and it shows. 

Lori seizes on the opportunity and pushes. “I told you, I’ve changed. All I’m trying to do is prove that. To both of you,” she says as earnestly as she can. “If there’s anything I can do to help take things off your plate, while you’re recuperating, Ava, just say the word.”  _ That ought to get a reaction _ , she thinks to herself.

“That’s sweet of you,” Lena says, in shock she’s using the word ‘sweet’ to describe Lori. “I might have to take you up on that. We are struggling with some financial engineering--”

“You can’t be serious,” Ava cuts her off, appalled at Lena’s treatment of the situation. “Lena, she's obviously working us. You have to see she has an ulterior motive here.” Ava implores, getting worked up. 

“I’d hardly call saving your life an ulterior motive,” Lena responds indignantly. She doesn’t appreciate Ava questioning her judgment, especially when Lori’s been helpful and mostly left them alone since her release. She hates to admit it, but she thinks maybe Lori really has changed, and Ava is too stubborn to see it. 

Ava can’t believe what she’s hearing from Lena. They are supposed to be a team. “Don’t you think it’s just a little convenient she wasn’t hurt in the gala explosion? How did she even get into the gala? I don’t remember inviting her - do you?” she says, pointedly to Lena, her voice raising with each successive question. She’s about to ask another when a dizzy spell comes on, no doubt brought on by the stress of seeing Lori again. The corners of her vision start fading, and Lena can tell something’s not right. Ava tries to collect herself, but each breath causes her pain as her ribs protest the movement. Turning back to Lori she whispers firmly, “You should go.”

Ava doesn’t see Lori leave, but she takes some solace in knowing she doesn’t have to deal with her for the rest of the day. Her ribs hurt, and her vision is quickly fading. She tries to fight off the blackness that’s taking over, but it’s a losing effort. 

The last thing Ava sees before collapsing is Lena trying to close the gap to get to her, but she’s not fast enough. A panicked Lena manages to get Ava up on her couch, then dials Alex for help. Alex answers on the third ring, and she immediately knows something is wrong by Lena’s frantic tone. “How quickly can you get to my office at LCorp?”

“Ten minutes, tops,” she says, keeping her voice calm. Sara and Kara are right next to her, and she doesn’t want to worry either of them unnecessarily. “Lena, take a breath. What’s going on?”

“It’s Ava. She passed out,” comes the soft reply.

“OK, I’m on my way,” Alex hangs up, assuming Kara has used her super-hearing to listen to her conversation. “Ladies, can you manage here without me for a few minutes?” 

“Is Ava OK?” Sara asks, the vein in her forehead popping in concern. 

“Sounds like she’s rushing back to work a little too quickly. I’m just going to go check on her and make sure she actually takes it easy,” Alex reassures Sara as she heads out, quickly making her way to her motorcycle. 

The next ten minutes are the longest of Lena’s life as she sits next to an unconscious Ava, holding her hand and whispering for her to wake up. When Alex arrives she begins checking Ava’s vitals, observing her pupils for response and taking her blood pressure. “Has she been out the whole time?” She asks Lena. 

“Yes. I thought she was doing better today,” Lena says, thinking she’s pushed Ava too hard to resume her CEO duties. “She hasn’t had as much light sensitivity, and she said her dizziness was subsiding. I should’ve known she was pushing herself too hard.”

“Her blood pressure is a little low, but Lena it’s not your fault this happened,” Alex says reassuringly, grabbing Lena’s hand to give her a squeeze. “You did the right thing in calling me. But she needs to go home. I’m recommending at least a few days of bed rest to give her time to properly heal.”

Lena starts thinking about everything she needs to do at both CatCo and LCorp over the next few days. She wants to put it all aside and take care of her sister, but she has a responsibility to ensure the companies continue operating. “You’re right,” she says after a moment. “I need to figure out how to make this work, but let me get my schedule cleared for the rest of the day.”

Noticing Lena’s internal struggle, Alex offers, “Lena, I know you want to be home to take care of her, but I also know you’ll be stressed about work if you do that.” Lena raises an eyebrow, curious for Alex’s proposal. Alex shoots J’onn a quick text, then asks, “What would you say to Ava getting a little Martian TLC?”

“I’m not a guinea pig for your new age healing practices,” comes the mumble from Ava. Alex and Lena quickly turn their attention to her. Ava tries to sit up, but Alex is having no parts of that. She gently places a hand on Ava’s shoulder, easing her back down on the couch. 

“You’re not going anywhere. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, and it’s time you started following doctor’s orders,” Alex says sternly as Ava pouts. 

Starting to protest, Ava looks over to Lena for help, but she agrees with Alex. “Don’t look at me. You know she’s right,” Lena replies. “And I haven’t been doing a good job of helping you take it easy.”

“Which is why they called in reinforcements,” J’onn says, letting himself into Lena’s office. 

“Thanks for coming, J’onn,” Alex says, grateful for his help. 

“Of course.” He turns to Ava, “Let’s get you settled at home.” He gently scoops her up, and Ava notes just how warm his embrace feels. 

“Lena,” Ava reaches out a hand for her sister, “will you call me if anything comes up?”

Lena rolls her eyes. “Of course not. Now, go get some rest and forget about work,” she says, giving Ava’s hand a squeeze before J’onn flies off towards their penthouse. 

J’onn lands softly at the Luthor sisters’ penthouse, placing Ava down on their couch and covering her with a blanket. He brings over a glass of water, placing it on the coffee table beside the couch. “How am I supposed to sleep if you’re all the way over there?” Ava whines, when he goes to sit on one of the chairs across the room. Changing direction, he takes a seat next to her, and she curls up against him, resting her head on his thigh. “I could get used to being a guinea pig,” she mumbles as he begins tracing small circles on her lower back in an attempt to alleviate some of the tension in her body.

The two stay like that for a while, J’onn happy to see Ava getting some much needed rest. When she does wake up a few hours later, she feels more rested than she has in several nights. She yawns awake, and J’onn asks if she needs anything. “Bourbon, neat,” she says through a yawn. 

J’onn laughs, getting up from the couch. “Well, let me see what you have in the kitchen.” Finding some loose leaf chamomile tea, he turns on the kettle to warm up some water. After a few minutes he returns to the couch with a mug full of the steaming liquid, which earns him a death stare from Ava. 

“Is tea the Martian equivalent of bourbon?” She jokes. 

J’onn smirks, saying “Remember when you cheated during our bike race? Consider us even now.” Ava takes a small sip of the tea, enjoying its soothing effect. After a beat J’onn speaks up again. “Ava, I know you’re going through a lot right now. I am here to help you in any way that I can. If you’re open to it, I was hoping you could share with me the one thing that is troubling you most to see if we can tackle it together.”

Ava looks up from her tea to look J’onn in the eyes. She’s not used to allowing herself to be vulnerable with people, and she’s trying to determine if she can do that with J’onn. Finally she says softly, “Leaving Sara the way I did. And lying to her for so long about my past. I wish I were honest with her from the beginning.”

J’onn takes a minute to digest Ava’s words. “Why do you think you didn’t explain everything to her before you came to National City?”

Ava takes another sip of her tea. “Because I was afraid of Lori using us to hurt each other.”

“How would she do that?” J’onn maintains eye contact with Ava, not wanting her to feel self-conscious and shut down, ending the conversation. 

Ava shakes her head, not wanting to think about any of her nightmares involving Lori and Sara. J’onn puts his hands on Ava’s shoulders, massaging them gently to offer his comfort and support. After a minute, Ava says, her lower lip trembling, “Because Sara won’t be able to tell the difference between her and me. She’ll question every time I kiss her, if it’s me or Lori, and that will drive us both crazy.”

J’onn nods, acknowledging her pain. “Ava, you love Sara, right?”

Confused by his question, her brow creases. “More than anything, J’onn.”

“And, Sara, does she love you?”

“My recent actions notwithstanding...yea, she does,” a smile comes to Ava’s face as she thinks of Sara. 

J’onn smiles, helping her piece everything together. “So, is it possible that the love you two have for each other can overcome whatever Lori might have planned? After all, if Sara can tell you apart, doesn’t Lori lose her power over you?”

Ava gives J’onn a huge hug. “Thank you,” she whispers as Lena enters the apartment. 

“You two have a relaxing day?” She asks, taking off her coat. 

“She was a model patient,” J’onn says, getting up from the couch to give Lena a hug. 

“I very much doubt that,” Lena says flatly, “but that’s sweet of you to lie.”

“Same time tomorrow?” He says before taking off. 


	9. Doughn’t Call me Dumpling

“Lori,” Alex calls to her when she sees the woman wander into the DEO. “Can I help you with something?” Along with Supergirl and Sara, Alex is in the middle of planning to go to the coffee shop Chris Wentworth directed them to. She has no idea what Lori could possibly want with the DEO, and she knows for sure it’s not Ava, because J’onn just left to go to the Luthor penthouse. He’s been enjoying spending time with Ava, making sure she gets the proper rest she needs to fully recover. Supergirl and Sara’s attention both turn from their planning to Lori, who’s now standing in front of the trio.

“I want to help you find the people responsible for the gala explosion,” Lori says earnestly. 

“No way,” Supergirl says, crossing her arms. 

“We all want the same thing here,” Sara chimes in. “Maybe another pair of eyes will come in handy?” Sara really isn’t wild about spending time with Lori, but the way she sees it, if Lori can help them find these Vincere est Vivere people and prove they were responsible, would it be such a bad thing?

Alex lets out a deep sigh and rolls her eyes, mulling over the decision. “Fine. Everyone ready to roll out?”

Supergirl flies ahead to the coffee shop on Mockingbird Lane. Alex, Sara, and Lori arrive a short time later. Supergirl and Alex head inside the coffee shop to speak to the owner about his video surveillance, while Sara stays outside with Lori to canvas the nearby streets. “I’m going to check with this bank to see if they have security cameras. It looks like they could’ve captured something near the entrance to the coffee shop. Why don’t you...check the trash?” Lori makes a disgusted face. “Who knows? Maybe somebody recently threw away credentials?” Sara says with a smirk as she heads into the bank.

Knowing she has a few minutes and wants to time her findings with Supergirl and Alex coming out of the coffee shop, Lori starts digging through the far trash can on the north side of the street. After a few minutes, she switches to the one on the east side as Sara comes out of the bank. “Any luck?” Lori asks her, digging through the trash and trying to avoid getting food stains on her coat.

“Nope. The angle’s no good,” says Sara, getting a kick out of watching Lori hunt through trash.

Just then, Lori sees something that looks like a balled up piece of notebook paper. Very nondescript and not too old. “I think I found something,” she calls for Sara to come over to her as she unwraps the piece of paper. 

Sara jogs over to her as they both examine the three strings of very random looking alphanumeric combinations. “This first one could be the site url,” Sara offers, pointing to the first string. Supergirl and Alex emerge from the building, heading over to where Sara and Lori are standing. 

“We struck out,” Alex says, dejected. 

“The owner said he wouldn’t help an alien,” Supergirl adds, indignantly. Sara doesn’t think she’s seen Supergirl this upset before. She’s touched at how much she and Alex are doing to get justice for Ava.

“Well, Lori here might have found something,” Sara says, excited the trip wasn’t a total dead-end.

“You’re kidding,” Alex says in surprise. Lori hands over the piece of paper to Alex. “Where did you find this?”

“In that trash can,” Lori says, pointing to it, and trying to wipe as much trash off of herself as possible. “I’m going to have to burn this coat,” she jokes.

Alex texts Winn the three strings of texts, then gives him a call. “Any luck?” she asks, trying not to get her hopes up.

“Alex, I’m in!” Winn says, his voice a combination of excitement and fear. “It’s...fuck, it’s bad, Alex,” he says as he scans the site. “You need to come back to the DEO so I can show you what we’re dealing with.”

The trio look at Alex expectantly. “They worked!” she says, happy they are making progress. “Lori, thanks for doing the dirty work. Let’s head back to the DEO to see what’s next.”

Not long after, they’re all convened around Winn’s monitor, exploring the site. “Wow, I don’t know what’s worse,” Sara starts, “the crap that people like this come up with, or the fact that so many people believe it.” She’s disgusted by all of the hate and fear mongering in the videos. 

“Winn, have you found the one where he talks about the gala?” Supergirl asks. She’s not as surprised as Sara that there are people in her city who feel this way, since she’s seen it since arriving in National City. But the fact that these people are injuring innocent civilians, her friend included, in the name of their crazy cause makes her want to hit something.

“Found it,” Winn says, maximizing the video on the monitor so they can all get a good look. They all watch in disgust as the man goes through several of the guests at the gala and provides incredibly circumstantial, and in several cases, inaccurate information about them, somehow proving that they are aliens. He then explains how he was able to plant a bomb without it being detected. The video ends with him gloating about being able to pull off his plan. 

Lori takes in the others’ reactions, delighting in Damien’s cinematography skills having the desired effect. “Can you tell who this man is?” she asks, keeping up the charade that she wants to find him as badly as the others.

“Shouldn’t be too hard, now that I have access to the site,” Winn says between keystrokes. “Pulling up the developer information, and...got him!” he says excitedly. “John Irving. He lives at 491 State Street - it’s a condo, just south of the river,” he has to yell the last part as Supergirl is already on her way. Again, Alex, Sara, and Lori are not far behind.

When Supergirl arrives at the condo, she’s surprised to find the door is unlocked. Wandering in, she follows the smell of rotting flesh towards his bathroom. He’s lying on the tile floor, an empty pill bottle on the counter. He’s been dead for several hours, maybe even a few days. Just then, Alex, Lori, and Sara enter the condo. “He’s dead,” Kara says so they can follow her voice into the bathroom.

Upon seeing the man responsible for hurting Ava already out of his misery, Sara loses it and throws a hard punch at the wall, bursting through the drywall. She kicks the couch, before Supergirl comes over to her, wrapping her up in her arms. “It’s OK,” Kara says, trying to calm Sara down. 

“I just really wanted to beat the crap out of the guy who hurt Ava,” Sara says, her anger turning to sadness as a tear slides down her cheek.

“We all did,” Lori offers to keep up the ruse. “But, at least it’s over. He can’t hurt anyone else.”

“We wouldn’t have found this place without you,” Alex says turning to Lori. She sticks out her hand to shake Lori’s. “Thank you.”  _ Maybe she really has changed _ , Supergirl and Sara think to themselves.

**Later that afternoon…**

“I’m so excited for this!” Kara squeals as Lena approaches her in front of the ramen restaurant. It’s a small spot near the beach with a great view of the waves and boardwalk. Giving Lena a quick hug, she adds, “Thank you so much for joining me!”

“Thanks for the invitation!” Lena is ecstatic to be spending time with Kara. She’d been looking forward to this cooking class all day. She was happy J’onn was able to take care of Ava at home, but things were busy with both CatCo and LCorp, and it was becoming a little too much for just her to handle. She needed something to take her mind off of everything, and this fit the bill. “Although, if you expect me to be cooking you homemade potstickers every night after this, you’ve got another thing coming,” she teases Kara.

Kara grabs Lena’s hand to lead them inside. “Maybe just for game nights,” she laughs as the pair strolls into the class. It’s an intimate affair with just two other couples besides themselves. 

“Welcome to Doughn’t Call me Dumpling. I am Chef Park,” the chef greets them, “You must be chefs Kara and Lena.”

Kara blushes. “I, uh, don’t know about ‘chef,’ but yes, that’s us,” she says with a big smile. They put on their aprons and tie their hair back as the instructor begins taking them through the first set of directions. “OK, how about if I stir, while you pour in the water?” Kara confirms with Lena.

Lena starts with the hot water first, Kara using her super-strength to quickly incorporate the water into the flour for the necessary consistency. Then Lena starts adding the cold water. Everything is going great until Kara stirs a bit too hard and a huge clump of flour comes flying up into Lena’s face, startling her. She stares at Kara for a second, then says, “I think you’ve stirred it enough,” before letting out a huge laugh. 

“Well done, chefs,” the instructor says to them. “You are now ready for the kneading process.” He starts for them so they can see how it’s done, then he passes it off to Lena. 

“Am I doing this right?” Lena asks, trying to follow his lead. He nods. After a couple of minutes, Lena says, “How are my arms already sore?” and Kara takes over. Once she finishes, they set their dough aside to rest. “Is it time to eat something yet?” Lena jokes, causing Kara to smile.

“Hey, that’s my line.” They make the filling, then once the dough is ready, they begin rolling it out and cutting it off into potsticker-sized chunks. They both watch Chef Park as he expertly stuffs and pleats the potsticker to close it. Then they both make their first attempts. Lena manages to get pretty close, but Kara epically fails, with all of her filling falling out on the table, and some on the floor. This earns a huge laugh from Lena. Kara has never looked so pathetic. “You know I could just fry these with my eyeballs, right?” she whispers to a still cracking up Lena. 

“Oh, c’mon honey, it’s not that tough,” Lena purrs as she uses her hands to guide Kara’s through the pleating process.  _ Honey _ , Kara thinks to herself.  _ I could get used to hearing that from Lena _ . 

“Like this?” Kara asks, purposely messing up again.

Lena rolls her eyes. “Let me show you again,” she says as she again guides her hands with her own, hoping Kara did that on purpose so she’d have another excuse for them to touch. Finally they manage to get all of their dough stuffed and sealed. 

As they start frying up their potstickers, Kara remembers their good news from the morning. “Oh, I almost forgot. We found the man responsible for the gala bombing.”

“Really?” Lena asks, her eyes going misty. “Is he...?” she trails off, unsure what answer she’s hoping for.

“He was dead when we found him,” Kara whispers. She explains how they were able to find him and tie him back to the bombing.

“Wow, so Lori was pretty instrumental in you finding him.” She’s again surprised by Lori’s uncharacteristic actions. “I wish I could’ve seen her covered in trash,” Lena says with a smile, trying to imagine it. 

Their potstickers are finally ready, and the pair settle down at the table with the other couples. Kara starts divvying up their food, giving Lena 5 and 10 for herself, earning a half-smirk, half-glare from Lena. “Kara! Seriously?? I know you love these things, but if it weren’t for me the entire contents would be on the floor, instead of in the postickers.”

Kara laughs before evening out their portions. As they cheers with the rest of the class and start enjoying their food, both women think about how much fun they had and how easy it was to talk and enjoy a little domesticity with each other. Kara makes a mental note to thank Ava for setting them up.

Not long after, they make their way over to the boardwalk, hand in hand, to enjoy the view of the beach at dusk. Staring out at the sunset over the waves, Lena sighs and says, “What an amazing view.”

  
Kara leans in to kiss her, soft at first, but Lena invites her to deepen the kiss, sliding her hand behind Kara’s neck.  _ Make that a HUGE thank you to Ava _ , Kara thinks.


	10. Infiltration Achieved

“Hey, Kara,” Ava starts, to get the reporter’s attention as the daily CatCo staff meeting wraps up. “Can we chat for a few minutes about your article? I have some questions I wanted to talk through with you.” It’s Ava’s first day back at work after being home with J’onn for several days on Alex’s mandated bed rest. Ava was going stir crazy the day before, so Alex came over to check her out and gave her blessing for Ava to return to work. She’s anxious to get started after being away and not being able to help Lena.

“Sure,” Kara says as Lena hangs back as well, curious to see what questions her sister has about Kara’s article. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, by the way. We’ve missed having you around here,” Kara says, genuinely happy to see Ava again after a few days.

Ava smiles. She’s just happy to be settling back in. “In your third paragraph, the one where you describe Irving’s site, I didn’t see anything about evaluating the authenticity of the video where he takes credit for the bombing,” Ava says, pointing to her notebook with her questions. She doesn’t question Alex or Kara’s intentions, but she’s a little worried they were too quick to want to wrap up everything and move on, and that it’s possible they missed something.

Kara is a bit taken aback by Ava’s question. She was expecting more editorial commentary rather than a substance discussion, and she’s afraid Ava can’t be objective in this case. “Well, the NCPD didn’t feel there was any doubt about the validity of the video. Irving is the only one with upload access to the site, and he’s in the video.”

“Ava, do you have reason to believe the video is a fake?” Lena asks, her brow furrowed in confusion at her sister’s question.

Ava sighs, not wanting to start a disagreement. “No. It just all feels a little easy, doesn’t it?” Seeing confusion in both of their faces, she continues. “If Irving really was responsible for the bomb, and he really did upload that video, then why did he kill himself?”

“Maybe he felt bad once he realized what he’d done?” Lena shrugs. “Who knows? The man was obviously crazy. Considering Supergirl worked with about half the DEO, not to mention Sara and Lori, I’m not sure if I would call closing the case ‘easy’,” Lena responds.

Ava looks at Lena like she has three heads. “What do you mean ‘worked with Lori’?”

“She went dumpster diving and found the access code for the site,” Kara says, a hint of admiration in her voice. “I thought Alex told you when she explained everything yesterday.”

“She left that detail out.” Ava’s floored, feeling even more justified in her suspicions that not everything is adding up. “And that doesn’t seem just a little bit off to you? What was she even doing there?” Ava directs this question at Lena.

“What do you want me to say? She wanted to help find the person responsible for hurting you. She was with them the whole time,” Lena says, pointing to Kara. “You think she planted the credentials then purposely went hunting through garbage? How would she even pull that off?” Lena tries to knock some sense into Ava by showing her it wouldn’t be possible for Lori to have compromised the case.

This earns an eye roll from Ava, who sighs, before giving in, not wanting to fight with two of her favorite people. “Fine. If you two feel confident she didn’t tamper with anything, and that the video is legit, then I’m good.”

“Finally. We are late for a demo of Project Restore over at LCorp,” Lena says, putting her arm around Ava as the trio make their way out of the conference room. 

“Wait,” Ava says to Kara before they split up, both Lena and Kara afraid Ava can’t let her concerns go. “Did you get any pictures of Lori covered in trash, because I would pay big money to see that!” The three start laughing at the thought.

“Next time,” Kara says, as Lena and Ava head for their car.

**Over at LCorp…**

Lena has been so preoccupied with mentally reviewing everything for the demo that she completely spaces on an important detail. Realizing her mistake as she and Ava are making their way over to her office, she tries to explain on the way but before she can, they see Lori waiting with the family right outside her office. Not wanting to make a scene and potentially compromise the demo, Ava glares at Lena and whispers, “We’ll talk about this later.”

“Ava, Lena,” Lori says as she and the family stand to greet her sisters, “this is Jeremy, Deborah, and Linda Howard.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, and thank you so much for coming in to see us,” Lena and Ava say, shaking their hands. “Let’s head into my office, and we can get better acquainted,” Lena says, pointing the way. Once they are all settled, she begins, directing her questions to Linda, “Can you tell me a little bit about why you think Project Restore might be able to help you?”

Linda grabs her mother’s hand, and then proceeds to explain to the Luthor sisters, “A few years ago, my mother was diagnosed with Dementia. She has periods of being lucid and remembering us,” she gestures to her father, “but it’s been a struggle. When we read about your research…” she trails off for a minute, her eyes beginning to water, “...if there’s anything you can do to help give us more time to be a family. That’s all we’re hoping for.”

Suddenly, the fact that she has to be in the same room as Lori doesn’t matter any more to Ava. All that does matter is trying to help these people put their family back together. “Well, let’s head down to the lab, and we’ll see what we can do,” Lena offers as the six of them head out.

When they arrive in her lab, Lena hooks up the monitor to the ‘world’s ugliest headphones’ as Ava refers to them, before helping Deborah get the hardware on her head. She fastens the clip under her chin, giving her a big smile, and telling her that everything will be alright. As the transfer begins to show up on the monitor Lena asks, “Linda, is there any specific event you’d like us to try?”

Linda looks at her father, who answers, “Our 50th wedding anniversary. It was five years ago, and all of our family and friends were there.” He’s optimistic, but trying not to get their hopes up. Deborah has been on various prescriptions and treatments since her diagnosis, but nothing has helped. He’s not sure if he can take another disappointment.

“OK, I’m expanding the search parameters,” Lena explains as she clicks away on her keyboard, “and...ah, here it is.” She pulls up the memory on the monitor, checking to make sure the sound is on at an appropriate level. When the memory starts playing, it’s as if they are watching a home-video of the party. Everyone is happy, stuffing their face with cake, and dancing to the live band.  _ I wonder if Kara and I will make it to fifty years _ , Lena thinks to herself. 

All eyes are on Deborah to see if she’ll have any kind of reaction to what she’s watching. At first her face is completely blank, as if she’s watching everything happen to someone else. Then, as she sees herself dancing with Jeremy, she lets out a hearty laugh. Startled by her outburst everyone looks at her. “This is when you stepped on my feet, dear,” she teases her husband. Sure enough, the video footage backs up Deborah’s claim. 

Jeremy’s face is one of pure astonishment. He laughs to himself, “I forgot all about that.”

“Well, you’re not the one who’s toes hurt for the rest of the night,” Deborah jokes with him. They spend the next hour reminiscing about their younger days and when Linda was a child. Neither Linda nor Jeremy can remember the last time they spoke to Deborah so much. They return to Lena’s office where Jeremy confirms they will be making a sizable donation to fund further research on the project. Lena is beyond grateful and works with him to schedule a follow-up appointment to discuss next steps with the project.

Once the Howards head out, Lori says, “Well, I better take off too. I’m glad everything went smoothly. They are such an adorable family.”

“Thank you,” Lena says, watching her leave. “You’ve been unusually quiet,” Lena directs to Ava as she grabs two glasses and starts adding bourbon to them. 

Ava takes the glass from Lena and savors the first sip. “You want to hire her, don’t you?” Frustration and slight annoyance are clear in her tone.

“You can’t argue it’s getting tough to keep refusing her when she’s been so helpful,” Lena says, enjoying the bourbon. “Besides, she just saved my biggest development project. How can I possibly justify not giving her some sort of concession?” Lena doesn’t know what Ava expects of her. She’s not exactly jumping for joy at the prospect of seeing Lori everyday, but she has to admit the woman had more than earned it.

“I’m not even going to ask how she found that family. They  _ are _ adorable, and I refuse to think anything bad about them simply because I don’t approve of their choice in associates,” Ava says, not wanting to fight with Lena. Finishing her bourbon, she stands to give Lena a hug. “I’m so proud of you, and I know you’re going to change a lot of people’s lives with this project.” Giving her a small smile, she adds, “I will suck it up and be professional around her,” as she heads home.

Lori is driving home when she gets a call from Lena. “They didn’t back out did they?” Lori says, feigning worry about the Howards potentially changing their minds.

“No, no, nothing like that,” Lena responds. “I’m actually calling to see if you’re still interested in working with Ava and me at LCorp.” After a pause she adds, “We could really use your help with managing the research projects.”

Lori pretends like she’s taking time to think through Lena’s offer. “I don’t know, Lena,” she starts hesitantly. “I want to be around you both and prove to you that I’ve changed, but I don’t want to make things awkward for Ava.”

“Ava and I both agreed. We want you here,” Lena says earnestly.

“Wow, OK, well, what time should I come by tomorrow?” Lori asks.

“8:30 sharp. I want to get you situated before our 9 o’clock meeting,” Lena says, thrilled that Lori has agreed.

“I’ll see you then. And Lena, thanks for giving me a second chance,” Lori adds. Once she hangs up with her sister, she shoots a quick text over to Damien.  _ Infiltration Achieved _ .

As soon as Lena hangs up the phone, she hears a thud outside her office on the balcony. “I’m sorry. I know I’m late,” Lena says, joining Supergirl outside. 

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it up to me,” Kara says, a devilish smile forming on her lips as she whisks Lena back to her place. 

“Wow, you really know how to woo a woman,” Lena husks, as they enter Kara’s apartment. There’s a bottle of red wine, freshly decanting, along with two wine glasses, and a dozen chocolate covered strawberries. 

“How did your demo go?” Kara asks after quickly changing from her Supergirl uniform into her black negligee.

Lena’s eyes roam over Kara’s toned body as the two start enjoying the wine. “Great. We should be good to keep Project Restore going for quite a while.”

“Congratulations!” Kara says, holding up her wine glass for them to cheers. 

After finishing their wine, Lena then puts both of their glasses down on the table, before leaning in to kiss Kara. Kara quickly deepens the kiss, and moves for the zipper on Lena’s dress as the pair melt into the couch.


	11. Hunger

Lori is settling into starting at LCorp the next morning when she sees Sara getting off the elevator and making a bee-line for her. Lena and Ava are both out to lunch, so she decides to take the opportunity to have a little fun. “Hey, I was hoping to run into you,” Sara says as she reaches Lori. “I’m sorry to bother you at work, but I was hoping we could talk.” Lori directs them to Lena’s balcony so they have some privacy, and Sara begins, “I wanted to apologize for the way we left things the last time we spoke.” Sara looks down, clearly uncomfortable with how difficult her relationship with Ava has become. “I know things have been...weird between us since I got here, but--”

“Sara, you have nothing to apologize for,” Lori cuts her off. She’s not certain what conversation Sara is referring to, but she doesn’t want to tip her hand that she’s not Ava, so she decides to take control of the conversation. “I’m the one who lied to you and took off without an explanation.”

“You were scared,” Sara says, her tone understanding. She’s been wanting to hear those words from Ava for so long. It feels like the space that’s been between them is starting to get just a little bit smaller. She reaches out her hand for Lori’s, interlocking their fingers. She brings Lori’s hand to her lips, giving her a small peck, before adding, “Just promise to talk to me next time. I’m always on your side.”

Lori gives Sara a reassuring smile, nodding in agreement. Relieved to finally have gotten some closure, Sara tells Lori she doesn’t want to keep her away from work and heads back to the DEO to get a training session in with Alex.  _ This is going to be easier than I thought _ , Lori thinks to herself as she watches Sara leave.

Meanwhile, Ava and Kara are enjoying lunch at Kara’s favorite taco place. “So, I’m dying to know,” Ava says between bites of her taco, “how was your cooking class?”

Kara blushes thinking back to a few nights prior with Lena. “Amazing,” Kara sighs out, clearly high on life.

“Awwww, I’m so happy for you two!” Ava is thrilled to have some good news to focus on as a distraction from all of the drama with Lori and Sara. “Tell me everything!”

“The class was so much fun - it had this gorgeous view of the beach, and our potstickers actually came out pretty tasty,” Kara recalls the evening to Ava. “I could not for the life of me figure out how to close the potstickers though, so Lena had to do most of that,” she laughs, remembering how great it felt to have Lena’s hands on hers. “Afterwards we went down to the boardwalk, and watched the sunset, and…”

“Boundaries, Kara. I’m happy for you two and all, but I don’t need to be picturing you and my baby sister doing...things to each other,” Ava teases, making a queasy looking face.

Kara rolls her eyes at Ava’s playfulness. She’s so happy to see Ava smiling and laughing after what she’s been through lately. “Well, I wanted to thank you for all of your matchmaking,” Kara says sincerely. “I’ve never been this happy before.” Ava gives her a huge smile, before Kara continues, “I was hoping I could return the favor.” Upon seeing Ava’s brow furrowed in confusion, Kara explains more of what she has in mind. “We closed the gala bombing case. Things with Lori are...manageable. Doesn’t it seem like now might be a good time to talk to Sara?” She asks the last part very tentatively, unsure of how Ava will react. She knows those two can find the same happiness she and Lena have, but she just thinks they need a little push right now.

Ava takes a deep breath, carefully considering Kara’s words. “I miss her so much, Kara,” Ava says as small tears begin to form. Kara reaches her hand out to grab Ava’s and give it a squeeze to silently tell her she has her support. “I’ve been so afraid of Lori hurting her, but I’m the only one who’s done that.” She lets out a small sniffle. “What if she can’t forgive me?”

Seeing Ava so torn up about her relationship with Sara breaks Kara’s heart. Pushing up her glasses, she starts, “Coming from someone who’s been there, lying to the woman you love to protect her sucks. All you can do is apologize,” she finishes, relieved she and Lena have been able to put that chapter of their story behind them. “And if that doesn’t work, get to her heart through her stomach by taking her to Miku, this great sushi place by the beach.” Kara laughs.

Ava gives her a small smile, “You’re right. Is she still at the DEO with Alex?” 

Kara nods as Ava stands up to hug her. “Thank you, Kara. I really needed this,” she says as she heads out to find Sara.

Once arriving at the DEO, Ava is told Sara can be found with ‘Director Danvers’ in the training room, so she heads that way. Not fully prepared for the scene in front of her, Ava takes a moment to admire just how good Sara looks when she’s kicking ass. She and Alex are of similar skill level, but Sara clearly has an edge, and Alex is tiring. Glistening with a fresh layer of sweat, Sara’s toned abs and sculpted arms capture Ava’s attention. Sara pins Alex who starts cracking up when she sees Ava eyeing them. “What’s so funny?” Sara asks, confused.

“Your girlfriend is looking at you the same way Kara looks at potstickers,” Alex gets out between laughs. 

Sara whips around, coming face-to-face with Ava. Alex excuses herself and heads towards the locker room to shower and change, leaving the pair alone. 

“How are you feeling?” Sara asks, surprised to see Ava again after having gone to see her at LCorp that morning.

Ava can’t take her eyes off Sara’s abs. She’s always appreciated her strength, both on the outside and on the inside, but it’s been far too long since they last spent time just being together. Realizing that she’s starting to drool and that Sara is expecting an answer, Ava clears her throat and collects herself, taking a step towards Sara. “Better. I heard you helped catch the guy responsible for the gala bombing,” her voice low and breathy.

Sara smiles, nodding as she takes a step forward to close the gap between her and Ava. Before either knows what’s happening, Ava’s hands are on Sara’s waist, and Sara’s hands are on her neck, both savoring the taste of each other after so long apart. Sara starts pulling off Ava’s coat, then her shirt as she hungrily caresses Ava’s neck with her tongue. “Sara,” Ava husks between kisses. “I’m so sorry for everything. I promise I’ll never lie to you again,” she says as Sara starts to plant feather light kisses on Ava’s bare stomach.

  
_ I kinda thought we went through this already, _ Sara thinks to herself, but quickly brushes the thought aside, eager to be with Ava. Now it’s Sara’s turn to look at Ava like a starving woman eyeing a fresh piece of meat. “I know how you can make it up to me,” her voice lower than even Ava is used to, as Sara pulls her down to the floor, undoing the clasp on her bra. 


	12. Pilot Test

“Mmmm, something smells delicious!” Lena says, opening the door to Kara’s apartment, 

“Well, it’s no homemade potstickers, but I know how much you love pizza,” Kara welcomes her with a soft kiss. 

“My hero,” Lena coos at Kara, grabbing the bottle of wine she brought to start filling their glasses.

“How did the demo go with the Howards?” The last Kara and Lena spoke, Lena was incredibly stressed about her pitch, knowing how much was riding on it. 

Lena pours the red wine into each of their glasses and holds up her glass to cheers with Kara. “We secured enough funding for at least the next three months, maybe more.”

“Baby, that’s amazing!” Kara exclaims, picking Lena up to twirl her. “Not that I’m surprised of course. I know how convincing you can be,” she says with a smirk.

“Lori of all people was the one who found them,” Lena explains. “They’re such a great family, Kara. You should’ve seen the look on their faces when Mrs. Howard remembered their anniversary party.”

“Do I want to know how she found them?” Kara asks, as the timer for the pizza goes off. She gets up to pull the pizza out and start cutting up slices for them. 

“I don’t want to know,” Lena says, her stomach grumbling over the promise of upcoming food. “But I offered her a job.”

“How did Ava take that?” Kara hands Lena a plate with two slices of Hawaiian, her favorite. 

Lena takes a bite, savoring the salty-sweetness. “This is amazing,” she mumbles out between bites. “I love you.” She freezes, shocked that those words just came so effortlessly out of her mouth. Slowly she looks over at Kara, who is giving her the sweetest smile. Lena swallows the bite and clears her throat. “Ummm, so that happened. It’s OK, don’t feel like you need to say anything back,” she finishes nervously.

“Did you mean it? Or... was it more--”

Kara’s cut off before she can verbalize her thought by Lena’s lips crashing into hers. The kiss is so tender, so full of passion, that Kara forgets about the food. She tears Lena’s shirt off as the two hastily make their way to the bedroom.

**Meanwhile across town…**

“Let me get this straight,” Sara starts, looking out at the ocean then back at Ava, “you were able to rent out this entire restaurant, just for us?”

They’re at Miku, the most exclusive sushi restaurant in National City. It sits above the boardwalk with a floor-to-ceiling view of the pacific ocean. A member of the staff brings over two glasses of sparkling sake. Ava clinks glasses with Sara as the two enjoy the bubbly. “One of the perks to being CEO of a Fortune 500 company is you can arrange elaborate displays of affection for the people you love,” Ava says, putting her arms around Sara, resting her chin on Sara’s shoulder as they both stare out at the sea. 

“Well it’s about time this arrangement started having some perks,” Sara teases. “I could get used to living the high life with you.” They stand there for a while in silence, just enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms again, when Sara asks, her curiosity getting the better of her, “Not that I’m not happy about it, babe, but what changed your mind?”

She turns around to face Ava whose face is one of pure confusion. “You went from trying to get me on a plane and out of your life to ‘elaborate displays of affection’. What happened?”

Ava smiles, recalling her conversations with J’onn. “Have you met J’onn during any of your trips to the DEO?” When Sara shakes her head, Ava explains, “He’s the former director of the DEO and Alex’s mentor. He took care of me when I pushed too hard trying to go back to work after the gala. He helped me realize what a complete bonehead I’ve been.”

Their waiter brings over their first course, an assortment of sashimi. They take turns sampling the raw fish and loving how fresh it tastes. “This J’onn guy sounds like my new best friend,” Sara jokes between bites. 

“Yea, he’s pretty great.” Ava takes a deep breath. “Babe, I am still concerned about Lori,” Ava tone grows serious. She reaches out for Sara’s hand before continuing, “But he helped me realize that together we can get through this.”

“How did he get so wise?” Sara asks. “Does he take appointments?”

Ava is loving the sashimi. As far as she remembers it’s the best she’s ever had. Before popping another bite she explains, “Well, he  _ is _ from Mars...I think they have bigger brains or something.”

Sara’s eyes grow wide as she nearly chokes on her fish. “Is that like men are from Mars, women are from Venus type of thing?”

This earns a snort from Ava. “Ha, no, he’s literally a martian. That sounded more normal in my head.”

“I guess this is our new normal now,” Sara says, wrapping her arms around Ava’s waist. 

“Speaking of, are you still crashing on Alex and Kara’s couch?” Kara had told Ava about the three of them living together.

“They actually helped me find an apartment not far from Lena’s penthouse,” Sara smirks. “You should come check it out sometime.” 

“I can’t wait,” Ava says, leaning in to kiss Sara. The pair are about to deepen the kiss, when they hear a throat clear behind them. It’s their waiter dropping off their next course, hand rolls.

“Love me some sushi tacos!” Sara says excitedly as they tap their rolls together in mock cheers. 

Once they wrap up dinner, Sara asks coyly, her eyebrow arched, “So, when you reserved the whole place for us, did that include the upstairs patio?” When Ava nods Sara grabs her hand to lead her upstairs. The pair admire the sunset from the higher vantage point for a while before Sara turns back towards Ava, gently tugging her blazer off before leaning in to kiss her neck. 

Ava is caught slightly off-guard by Sara’s actions, but she returns the favor and slides off Sara’s leather jacket, picking her up and walking over to the couches on the other side of the deck. Ava can’t help but think about how lucky she is to have Sara and how she hasn’t been this happy in a long time.

**Undisclosed location near National City...**

“OK, here is the list of users who’ve worn the hardware before,” Damien says, pointing the mouse cursor, searching for Ava’s name. He and Lori have spent the evening tweaking Project Restore to meet their ends. “Ava Luthor, ah, there you are,” he says giddily once he finds her name. 

“I still only see the one record from when Lena did the demo with her the day after my release.” Lori is getting frustrated. They’ve been at this for hours and still don’t have what they need in order to move forward. “I swear if I have to spend one more second pretending to be the reformed Lori Luthor, I’ll kill myself.”

Damien puts his hand on her cheek to calm her down. “We’re almost there, my love. Can you refresh the database one more time?”

Lori follows his instructions, although this is the third time she’s done this. She’s not sure what he’s expecting to be different. But then, all of a sudden, thousands of additional files start appearing in the folder. “That one has today’s date on it,” she points to the monitor. “Pull that up?”

Damien clicks on the file, and then they are watching Ava and Sara’s sushi date. “This is from tonight,” she says in amazement. “It can’t be more than an hour old.”

“Well, my dear, looks like you’ve got a long night ahead of you,” Damien says, rubbing her shoulder. “Assimilate as much of this as you can,” he smiles devilishly. “Tomorrow, we pilot test.”

**The next afternoon at the DEO…**

“What are you doing here so early, babe?” Sara asks, as Lori heads up the DEO stairs and over to where Sara is standing. It’s the middle of the afternoon, and although Sara is happy to see who she thinks is Ava, she wasn’t expecting her until later.

“If you’re busy, I can go,” Lori offers coyly.

“Don’t you dare,” Sara says, leaning in to give her a soft kiss.

“I know tomorrow would’ve been your dad’s birthday, and I just wanted to check if we are on for our tradition of chinese takeout and buddy cop movies,” Lori says, having reviewed those memories of Ava and Sara the previous night. 

Sara smiles, thinking of how amazing her girlfriend is. With everything that’s going on right now, she could really use a night for things to just be like they were before either of them came to National City. “We are. This way you can check out my new apartment.” She leans in to give Lori another kiss, this one deeper and more intense than the first.

Ava cutout of LCorp early to head over to the DEO to try to catch Sara. Lena was running some more tests with Project Restore and said she didn’t need her, so Ava thought she would take advantage of the opportunity and surprise Sara. On her way over she grabs a single white rose, Sara’s favorite, as a simple way to tell her she loved her, and that she was happy they had figured out how to make things work. Ava keeps thinking how she can’t remember the last time she was this happy. 

The feeling doesn’t last long though as Ava is greeted by the sight of Sara kissing Lori as she walks into the DEO. Sara’s left arm wraps around Lori’s waist while her right cups her cheek, both women clearly unable to get enough of each other. Memories of the two kissing at the gala flood Ava’s mind. She would gladly take being blown up again if it meant she could undo what she was seeing.  _ C’mon Sara _ , Ava silently pleads.  _ You have to know that she’s not me _ . 

Ava suddenly feels a wetness on her cheek. Wiping away the tear, she rushes away from the pair, unable to stomach another second. She shoves the rose into a trash can as she makes her way to the training room, suddenly feeling the strong desire to hit something. Ava’s relieved to find the room empty. She strips down to just her sports bra and pants, grabbing a pair of gloves and heading for the training dummy. 

Ava lands punch after punch against the dummy, desperately channeling her frustration and pain into each blow. Normally, a few minutes of this helps clear her mind, but today it’s not working. As she keeps pushing, Sara enters, extremely confused. “Babe, didn’t I just say goodbye to you upstairs?” When she doesn’t get a response, Sara can’t tell if she’s being ignored, or if Ava didn’t hear her. “Babe?” she yells this time.

Ava throws one more powerful punch at the dummy before turning around to face Sara. “How did you get down here so fast? I thought you had a few things to finish up at LCorp?” Sara asks now that she knows she has her girlfriend’s attention, a big smirk spreading across her face as she admires Ava’s abs. 

“What’s that saying,” Ava starts between deep breaths, “‘fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me’?” She’s glaring at Sara, trying to catch her breath. “Well shame on me, Sara.”

Sara’s brow furrows in confusion. She hasn’t heard this tone from Ava in a long time, and she’s not sure why it’s so...angry. “Ok, did I do something wrong because you’re freaking me out a little.”

Ava grabs a towel to wipe the sweat off her brow. “No, I did.” The anger has been replaced with defeat. “I should’ve made you get on that fucking plane after the gala. I knew this would never work.” 

Sara’s incredulous. “Woah, five minutes ago we were talking about how happy we are and how stupid all of your worrying about Lori was. What the hell happened?” Sara reaches out for Ava’s hand, but she pushes her away.

“You kissed Lori, Sara. She’s playing you, and you can’t even see it.” Ava’s trying to hold off the tears that are threatening to fall. 

“Ava, no, she...you, you said things Lori couldn’t possibly know about. From before we even came to National City...about my father,” Sara says in disbelief. 

Ava lets out a huge sigh. “I don’t know what you want me to say. But, as long as you’re here, she’s going to keep manipulating you.”

Sara doesn’t appreciate Ava questioning how well she knows her. There’s no possible way Lori could know about Sara’s family. Then something clicks in Sara’s mind, and it’s her turn to be angry. “Maybe she’s trying to manipulate me right now.” The vein in Sara’s forehead pops as she glares at Ava. She narrows her eyes at Sara, confused by her accusation. “I know what you’re trying to do,  _ Lori _ , but it won’t work,” Sara closes the gap between them and does her best to make herself look imposing, despite their significant height difference. “Stay away from Ava.” Her voice is barely above a whisper, but dripping with contempt.

Ava’s in shock at hearing Sara call her Lori. For a second she thinks she might be dreaming, so she closes her eyes, her expression a mix of pain and disbelief. When she opens her eyes, Sara is still standing in front of her, scowling. Satisfied that she’s let Lori know she’s onto her, Sara leaves. Once she’s left alone, the tears that have been threatening come pouring out of Ava as she crumples to floor sobbing. 


	13. In the end all things will be known

“No way, play that back again,” Damien instructs Lori as they are getting caught up on Ava’s latest memories. Lori goes back a minute in the most recent entry, which picks up Ava and Sara arguing in the DEO training room about Sara having kissed Lori.

‘Maybe she’s trying to manipulate me right now,’ the pair hears an upset Sara leer at Ava. ‘I know what you’re trying to do,  _ Lori _ , but it won’t work. Stay away from Ava.’

“Oh, this is gold.” Giddy with delight about how well their plan is coming together, Damien begins fixing a fresh glass of tequila on the rocks. “You’ve already got her calling Ava you after just the pilot testing?! This is going to be easier than I thought,” he says in disbelief.

“I’m a little hurt you doubted my skills.” Lori takes a sip of her gin. “You know I’ve been perfecting the art of pretending to be Ava Luthor our entire lives,” a smile forming on her lips as she admires the anger in Sara’s eyes directed at her twin.

“I never doubted you, my dear,” he leans in to give her a kiss. “What do you think? Are we ready to move on to the next phase of our plan?”

Lori nods in agreement. “I’ll continue absorbing as much of Ava’s memories as possible, while pretending to be her full-time.”

“Eventually she’ll get so upset at being confused for you, she’ll snap,” Damien continues giddily. 

“The key will be to get her to do it in front of Lena and Sara, so they’ll have no choice but to take drastic steps to protect me,” Lori bats her eyes innocently. 

“And you’re sure no one has any ideas you’ve been sneaking around Lena’s lab?” he asks, trying to make sure they’re covered on all their bases.

“Even my sister isn’t paranoid enough to have cameras inside her lab.” Taking another sip of her drink, Lori continues, “I replaced the feed of me entering the lab with a recording of the empty hallway, so no one is the wiser.”

“I love it when a plan comes together!” Damien squeals as they triumphantly clink glasses in celebration.

**The next day at Sara’s apartment…**

“This place is amazing!” Lori exclaims happily, strolling into Sara’s apartment, a bottle of wine and chinese takeout in her tote bag. 

“You’re amazing,” Sara says with a smirk, her voice low as she leans in to welcome Lori with a kiss. She grabs a couple of glasses to start pouring out the wine as Lori starts digging out their food. “I’m starving! It smells so good, babe.”

“I got all of the usual suspects - lo mein, pork fried rice, and eggrolls,” Lori says putting the food on the coffee table along with the chopsticks. “I saw  _ Rush Hour  _ is on Netflix - you want me to start it, babe?” Lori knows it’s Sara’s favorite because of how much she loves Chris Tucker. 

“You know me so well.” Sara smiles as she dives into an eggroll. The pair start enjoying the food and wine as the movie starts, while Sara thinks about how happy she is to have the distraction. It’s the third birthday following her dad’s death. He would’ve been sixty this year, and she, her mother, and the Legends would’ve planned an elaborate party for him had he still been alive. She’s relieved she and Ava were able to make-up so they could enjoy the evening.

Suddenly remembering her conversation with who she thought was Lori the prior day at the DEO training room, Sara starts telling Lori, “Hey, I didn’t want to upset you, but I wanted you to know I ran into Lori yesterday.” Sara reaches out her hand to grab Lori’s to give it a squeeze of reassurance.

Trying to pretend as though she’s hearing about this for the first time, Lori asks, “Where? What happened?”

“She came to the DEO, right after you left. I think she might be planning something,” Sara says the last part quietly, grabbing another eggroll.

Lori takes a sip of her wine, feigning concern. “What do you mean?”

“She never pretended to be you in any of my previous meetings with her, but she did yesterday.” Sara tucks a lock of Lori’s hair behind her ear in an attempt to keep her calm.

Lori lets out a sigh and stands up, visibly shaken. “This is how it starts, Sara.” Sara stands up to wrap Lori in a comforting hug to let her know she’s safe with her. “She tries to convince the people that I love that she’s me,” Lori’s eyes watering as she holds tightly onto Sara. “I hate to say it, but maybe you should go back to Star City.”

“Not this again,” Sara says with an eye roll, still holding tightly onto Lori. “I told you, I’m not going anywhere. If she even thinks about hurting you, she’ll have to get through me.” Sara holds onto Lori for a few minutes, before they both hear, ‘Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?!’ and they both start cracking up. 

“Thank you Chris Tucker and your brilliant comedic timing,” Lori jokes as they resume eating their dinner and watching the movie. She grabs a couple of fortune cookies and passes one to Sara. 

“ An acquaintance of the past will affect you in the near future,” Sara reads. “Hmm,” her brow furrowing in confusion, “intriguing. What about yours?”

Lori breaks her cookie in half and unrolls the tiny slip of paper before letting a small, knowing smile escape her lips. “In the end all things will be known.” She puts the paper to the side, joking, “All of my secret plans will be revealed,” letting out a mock evil laugh.

Sara looks at Lori and can’t believe how lucky she is. She’s in love with this wonderful person, and they’ve managed to overcome every obstacle thrown their way. For the first time since the night she was about to propose, she’s feeling a state of bliss she long ago thought she never deserved, nor would ever get. She gives Lori a big smile, her dimples showing. “Hey, you want to know something funny?” Sara asks.

Lori smirks, unsure of what Sara could possibly be hinting at. “Of course.”

“The night you left Star City to come here,” Sara looks down, suddenly a little embarrassed that she’s about to admit this, “I was going to ask you to marry me.”

Lori smiles.  _ Oh this is too good _ . “You were?” although her surprise is real, she feigns being touched by Sara’s declaration.

“Yea, I was all ready when you came back from the phone call with Lena. But then I saw your face and knew something was wrong,” she trails off. 

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Lori says, confusing Sara.

Lori rolls her eyes, knowing how Sara is taking her statement. “Not like that, babe. I want to marry you. But I’m glad that you’re getting a chance to know the parts of my life I kept hidden from you. Now that you know all about my past, when one of us does propose, it’ll be that much sweeter.”

Sara gives Lori a huge smile, understanding what she means and silently agreeing with her. 

Caught off-guard by Sara’s grinning, Lori asks, “Do I have something stuck in my teeth?”

Sara smirks, quickly closing the gap between them and capturing Lori’s lips in an intense kiss. “Yea, my tongue,” she breathes out as they break apart. Lori grabs Sara around the waist, tugging her shirt off with her free hand, while Sara has one arm along Lori’s neck and the other pulling her joggers off, the movie no longer important.

**A few days later at LCorp…**

“Sara,” Lena says as she makes her way to her office. “Are you looking for Ava? She just stepped out to grab lunch with Alex, but I can let her know you came by.” 

“I’m actually here to see you,” Sara says hesitantly. “If you’re not busy, that is.”

Lena’s caught off-guard. She’s barely spoken to Sara since they were at the DEO worrying about Ava after the gala explosion. She’s been meaning to get to know Sara better, since she’s obviously a huge part of Ava’s life, but Lena has to admit, Sara can be incredibly intimidating, especially for someone with such a petite frame.  _ Maybe this will give us a chance to properly get to know each other better _ , she thinks to herself. “Why don’t you come into my office.” She holds the door for Sara to enter.

Once the two are alone, Sara starts, the vein in her forehead popping as she’s clearly concerned about who she believes to be Ava. “I think Lori might be up to something, and I was curious if you’ve noticed anything strange about her behavior here.” 

Lena lets out a huge sigh, turning to her bourbon stash to grab a few glasses. She pours a glass for Sara and hands it to her. “You sound like you’ve been talking to my sister. I thought we put all this nonsense behind us,” she says as she savors the taste of her drink.

Sara feels torn. She doesn’t want to fight with Lena or cause any undue strain between the siblings, but her worry for Ava wins out. “Lori came to the DEO a few days ago, trying to convince me she was Ava. I called her out on it, so she knows we’re on to her.” Sara takes a long sip of her drink. “Nothing’s been weird here?”

Lena can tell how much Sara cares for Ava. She’s so happy her big sister has found someone. She just wishes they could find happiness the way she and Kara have. “Lori pretending to be Ava is definitely a red flag. She hasn’t tried to pull that here, but in the past I’ve always been able to tell them apart, so she’d have to be either pretty desperate or pretty stupid to try.”

Sara narrows her eyes at Lena. “How have you been able to tell them apart? Because my run-in with Lori honestly has me questioning every gesture, every touch.” Sara shakes her head, embarrassed that she’s struggling so hard with this considering how much she loves Ava. “I don’t want Ava’s fears of Lori using us to hurt each other to be justified.”

Lena takes another long sip of her bourbon, trying to shake the flashes of the last time Lori tried impersonating Ava away. “Lori always had to think. She tried to be so careful with each word, each mannerism, trying to match Ava, that once I spotted it a few times, it became obvious when she was trying too hard.”

Sara nods, trying to assess her interactions with both Lori and Ava over the past several days to see if either felt more forced. Not coming to any decisions, she asks, “So, what are we going to do about it?”

Lena lets out a huge sigh. “To be honest there’s not a lot I can do at this point. I can’t fire her, not unless I can catch her in the act. Unfortunately I owe the entirety of Project Restore’s funding to her.” She can tell Sara is disappointed by her answer, but she’s not sure what she wants her to do. “Does Ava know?”

“Yea, we talked about it over the weekend. She was pretty shaken up, Lena.” Sara hates thinking about how this is affecting Ava, especially since she warned Sara to stay away because Ava was worried about this scenario happening.

“The minute Lori pulls something here, she’s gone. I promise you, Sara.” Lena extends her arm to prompt Sara to shake on their agreement. Sara obliges, and heads out as she places the empty glass down on Lena’s desk.

Later that night, Lena enters the penthouse as quietly as she can, so as not to wake Ava in case she’s asleep. Her sister is curled up on the couch, a slight bit of drool making its way onto the pillow. After slipping off her coat, Lena grabs a blanket to place over Ava, but she wakes up, saying through a yawn, “I thought we talked about you not working so late anymore.”

Lena smiles, touched at how much Ava cares about her. It’s been strange, after being on her own for so many years, she thought she didn’t need anyone, but ever since Ava’s been back in National City, she’s proven to Lena just how great having people around who love you can be. “You’re right,” Lena says softly. “I’m close to a breakthrough with Project Restore, and I thought we were going to crack it tonight.”

“Did you at least remember to eat something?” Ava asks, knowing how Lena can get in the zone and forget to take care of herself when she’s working on a project. 

Lena smiles, remembering her dinner fondly. “My salad arrived promptly at 7 o’clock. Thanks for making sure I don’t starve,” she says. Growing more serious, she changes topics, knowing they need to talk about Lori. “Sara told me about what happened at the DEO last week...with Lori,” she starts, hesitantly. “I know I haven’t been home much lately, but is there a reason we haven’t talked about it?”

Ava had been so freaked out after hearing Sara call her Lori that she’s been trying to avoid Lena and Sara. “I’m scared Lena,” she says after a pause, and Lena sits down next to her on the couch and wraps her up in the biggest, warmest hug Ava can remember. 

The two just sit there for what feels like hours, holding each other, with Lena trying to soothe Ava. Lena resolves to find a way to get Lori out of National City as soon as possible. 


	14. New Dream Team

Not wanting to risk running into Lori, Ava spends the day at her office at CatCo, working on a new marketing strategy. She’s enjoying being productive and away from all of the stress of worrying if Sara can tell her apart from Lori. Late that night, once the rest of the staff have long gone home for the evening, she heads back for the penthouse, ready to unwind for the evening.

Unbeknownst to her across town, Sara, Lena, and Lori are arriving at Kara and Alex’s for game night. Winn and J’onn are already there, and they stand to greet the women as they enter the apartment. “Ava, it’s good to see you,” J’onn says, giving Lori a huge hug. 

“Is this my favorite martian?” Sara asks with a smile as Lori introduces the two. 

“Guilty,” J’onn laughs out.

“Thank you for getting her to sit still long enough to properly heal,” Sara says as she wraps up J’onn in a big hug.

“Well, I’ve been preparing for a re-match on our bikes. What do you think, doc?” J’onn looks over to Alex with a smirk. “Is she cleared for motorcycling yet?”

Sara’s eyes grow wide. “Ava! You got a motorcycle and didn’t tell me?!” Sara looks at Lori, speechless.

Lori smirks, arching an eyebrow. “Oh, I didn’t just _get_ a motorcycle, baby. I won it at our last game night.”

“She’s on my team,” Sara says enthusiastically, pulling Lori into a kiss. 

As Lori, Sara, Lena, Winn, and J’onn continue to catch up with each other in the living room, Kara and Alex are finalizing their drinks and food for the evening. Kara made homemade potstickers, based on the class she took with Lena and brownies for dessert. “OK, which one did you hide it in again?” Alex asks as they are plating. 

“It’s in the near corner piece on that tray,” Kara says pointing to the tray of brownies on her right. She nervously takes a deep breath and looks over at Alex who’s beaming. Kara gives her patented puppy-dog eyes, unsure of what’s going through Alex’s mind, “What? Did I spill wine on my shirt or something?”

Alex reaches out to wrap Kara in a hug. “My baby sister is just growing up so fast. I’m so happy for you. After all you two have overcome. I’m excited our family is officially getting a little bit bigger.”

Kara and Alex bring over the potstickers and the wine, as the group is discussing which game to play. “I don’t remember the last time we played Celebrity,” Winn suggests. 

Lena narrows her eyes at Lori and jokes, “That sounds fun, but we are splitting up Ava, J’onn, and Alex this time. There will be no extravagant purchases tonight.”

“You can’t split up the dream team, Lena,” Alex, J’onn, and Lori all whine in unison. 

“What am I, chopped liver over here?” Sara quips.

“OK, OG dream team will ride again, but for tonight, the dream team is me, Sara, and...Winn,” Lori says, softly kissing Sara’s neck.

Winn moves over to join Sara and Lori on their side of the living room, while everyone takes a few minutes to write down their words. Once they have a decent supply, Kara grabs an empty bowl from the kitchen to store the pieces of paper in for each round. They make their way through the Taboo and charade rounds, and as they are nearing the end of the one-word only third round, Winn, Sara, and Lori are behind by six, and it’s Sara’s turn to give clues. She looks at Lori, then at Winn, then over at Alex with a huge smirk on her face.

“What’s so funny, Sara? Your team is about to go down. There’s a new dream team in town,” Alex jokes, spreading her arms in a ‘you want a piece of me?’ gesture. 

“Oh, someone’s feeling confident.” Lori nods at Sara, indicating she’s in with her plan. “Well it’s time to put your money where your mouth is,” Sara yells excitedly.

“Oh no, not this again,” Lena jokes. “The Luthor bank is officially closed for the evening,” she takes a sip of her wine and crosses her arms.

“What I meant is, it’s time to put your mouth where your feet are,” Sara says with a huge grin. “If we get all seven on my turn to come back and beat you, you four have to lick the floor.” Lori and Winn are dying laughing, while the other four share a look of disgust. 

“Ugh, I can’t believe this is a real question, but, carpeting or hardwood?” Kara asks, pushing up her glasses as she tries to use her x-ray vision to see just how much bacteria is where.

“Carpet.”

“Yea, she and Ava were made for each other alright,” J’onn huffs out. 

“Before I agree to these terms, we need to discuss what you three will be doing when you lose,” Lena starts, having given this some thought.

“We won’t be, but let’s hear what you have in mind,” Lori challenges her sister.

“You three have to lick the floor of the training room in the DEO,” Lena replies triumphantly, as the room falls silent.

“You two better know what you’re doing,” Winn says quietly after a minute. 

“Relax team, we got this,” Sara says as she walks over the bowl, eager to kick some game night butt. 

Alex flips over the timer, signalling Sara, “Your 60 seconds start now.”

Sara grabs the first sheet of paper, unwraps it, and is off to the races with her clues. “Miami.”

“Will Smith!” Lori and Winn shout together.

She grabs the next. “Honey.”

“Winnie the Pooh!” Winn says excitedly.

“Norway.”

“Oh, um...Frozen!” Lori says.

Lena looks at Alex who’s keeping track of the scores then at their timer, worried Sara might actually be able to pull it off. Suddenly, there’s only one piece of paper left, and ten seconds left on their timer.

Sara unwraps the final piece and can’t stifle a chuckle. “Hall-pass.”

“Dean Winchester!” Lori yells as a very confused Winn just stares at the pair while a buzzer can be heard in the background. “Babe, you did it!” Lori yells, capturing Sara’s lips in a tender kiss. 

“How are we losing to your sister again?” Kara asks, feigning tears about their predicament. 

“Sorry Supercorp, you’re just no match for Avalance,” Sara teases Lena and Kara, winking at Lori. 

“Supercorp?” Lena and Kara ask, confused. 

“Yea, it’s your ship name,” she says flatly. 

“But why wouldn’t it...what about...hmmm…” Kara’s brow furrows in frustration as she trails off trying to think of something better.

“It’s OK love, don’t hurt yourself,” Lena jokes. “I like it, even if we do have to lick the floor.”

“Do we have to, though?” Alex asks, her face scrunching in discomfort at what they are about to do.

“All of you, right now,” Sara says, her phone ready to forever document this amazing moment in their lives. 

“I take back what I said about Ava getting a lifetime invite for game night,” Alex jokes as the four of them bend down to lick the carpet. 

“You love us,” Sara and Lori say in unison as they capture J’onn, Kara, Lena, and Alex all taking one long lick across the carpet. They all shudder and try to wipe off their tongues right after, but nothing can shake the ickiness they’re all now feeling.

“How about we wash that down with some brownies?” Kara asks, bringing over the trays. She tries to position them so that the one she referenced earlier is in front of Lena, but Winn grabs it instead.

Everyone takes a bite of their brownie, enjoying the chocolatey goodness, until Winn says, “Ow, what the heck?” He pulls out and wipes off a diamond ring, which he stares at not understanding what’s happening. “Kara, you shouldn’t have,” he jokes.

Kara rolls her eyes, snatching the ring from Winn before kneeling in front of Lena. Lori gives Sara a gentle slap in excited anticipation of what’s about to happen. Lena’s eyes are wide, getting lost in the deep blue of Kara’s. She can’t believe from where they were only a few months ago that she would ever end up here.

“Lena, I know we haven’t been together for that long, but I think I’ve always known deep down how much I’ve needed you. I’m sorry it took so long for me to realize it. Will you --”  
  


“Yes!” Lena cuts her off and jumps into Kara’s arms. Kara gives the ring a proper cleaning to get all the brownie bits off before sliding the ring on Lena’s finger. “There certainly is a new dream team tonight,” she says, leaning in to kiss Kara.

After congratulating Kara and Lena, Winn and J’onn take off for the night, leaving the ladies alone to talk wedding planning.

**The next day at LCorp...**

“Hey, sis, do you have a few minutes to chat about the new CatCo marketing strategy?” Ava asks, knocking on Lena’s door as she opens it. She’s stunned to find Lori sitting with her, the pair enjoying their glasses of bourbon and excitedly discussing something. Ava’s brow scrunches in confusion at the sight of Lena treating Lori like that.

“Actually Lori, we’re in the middle of something. I’m sure if you talk to my assistant she can help you find a good time to come back.” Lena says dismissively. She still hasn’t managed to think of a way to get rid of Lori, but Lena’s doing her best to keep her away from Ava, knowing how much it’s driving her crazy the fact that Sara can’t tell them apart. She hopes her short tone will be enough to get Lori to leave them alone while they discuss wedding planning.

“Lori?! Lena, are you serious?!” Ava is speechless. As much as it hurt to hear Sara call her Lori, hearing it from Lena, who was always able to tell them apart, hurts a little bit more. Tears start to well up in her eyes, as Lena stands, clearly wanting her to leave as soon as possible. A sparkle catches Ava’s eye, Lena’s betrayal suddenly forgotten. She smiles, reaching out for Lena’s left hand. “What’s this?”

“Oh, Kara proposed at game night last night,” Lena says dismissively. _This ought to be good_ , Lori thinks as she can practically see steam coming out of Ava’s ears. “Now, if you don’t mind, Ava and I have important work we need to get back to.”

“That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you and Kara!” Ava has never been happier for Lena. She knows how much Lena and Kara have had to go through, and she’s just thrilled they were able to come out the other side stronger. But the fact that she missed the proposal is eating away at Ava. “Is there a reason I wasn’t invited to game night? I wish I could’ve seen it in person.”

Lena walks over to stand in front of Ava, nearly even height with her with her heels on. “Are you really trying to convince me that you’re Ava right now?”

“Yea, today’s about celebrating Lena and Kara, and here you are making everything about you, Lori,” Lori speaks up for the first time, trying to push Ava past the restraint she knows she’s been showing so far. “No one wants you here. Why don’t you just leave?”

Something in Ava snaps. All of the pain and anxiety she’s been holding onto ever since Lena’s initial phone call gets channeled into her fist as it makes contact with Lori’s face. Lori crumples to the ground holding her left eye, while Ava is flexing her right hand. Lena runs to Lori, while grabbing her phone and dialing her assistant. “Get security in my office, now!” She’s glaring at Ava, who’s looking defiantly down at Lori, relishing seeing her in this state. 

As LCorp’s security arrives, they each place a hand around Ava to drag her out. The last thing Ava hears is Lena yelling back at her, “If you ever come near us again, I’ll kill you.”


	15. The One

“Lena, it’s just a black eye. I really don’t think this is necessary,” Lori tries to convince her she’s being overprotective as the two walk into the DEO, Lena immediately searching for Alex. 

“I would feel better if Alex took a look at you,” Lena stops to rub Lori’s shoulder, looking up at her with big green eyes. 

Knowing Ava wouldn’t be able to resist that face, Lori acquiesces. “Fine, if it’ll make  _ you _ feel better, let’s go see Alex.” 

“Oh my god! Ava, what happened?!” Sara and Alex both yell as they see the shiner forming on Lori’s face. 

“Lori attacked her at LCorp today,” Lena informs the pair as Alex leads them all into an exam room. 

“Here, have a seat here,” Alex gestures to Lori as she begins checking for signs of a concussion.

“Please tell me that bitch is gone,” Sara says to Lena, obviously worked up at seeing what Ava did to Lori.

Lena nods, telling Sara, “I had security throw her out of the office. I also told her if she ever showed her face in National City again, I’d kill her.” 

“Get in line,” Sara adds, turning back to face Lori. “Well, doc?”

Giving Lori an ice pack, Alex responds, “I’m not seeing any signs of a concussion or damage to her eye. Just looks like a nasty bruise. I’d say just keep ice on it for a few days to control the swelling.”

“Let’s get you home,” Sara says, grabbing Lori’s hand and directing her to the door. When they get to Sara’s apartment, she gets Lori settled on her couch and makes a mug of green tea for each of them. 

“Since when do you drink tea?” Lori teases, surprised Sara has any beverages beyond scotch in her apartment. 

Sara playfully rolls her eyes in response before gently cupping Lori’s unbruised cheek. Lori closes her eyes, enjoying the feeling of Sara’s soothing touch on her face. “I’m never going to let her hurt you again,” Sara’s voice is more determined than Lori thinks she’s heard from any of Ava’s memories. 

**Meanwhile back in Star City...**

She doesn’t remember the plane ride back from National City, and she doesn’t remember driving to the Legends’ headquarters. The only thing on Ava’s mind is the utter despair she feels from knowing the two people she loves most in the world hate her guts. She knows this won’t be easy, but if she’s going to have any hope of getting through to Sara, she’s going to need the Legends’ help. 

She takes a deep breath, bracing herself for their reaction to seeing her again, and knocks on their door. Nate answers and immediately slams the door shut in Ava’s face. Undeterred, she knocks again, and is met with, “Go away, Ava.” His tone is short and dismissive and reminds her of how the Legends treated her when she first started working with them. But hearing him call her Ava nearly brings tears to her eyes. 

“Please,” she yells through the door, hoping he’s still within earshot. “I need to talk to you, all of you. It’s about Sara,” she adds, hoping that’s enough to at least get her a sit-down with the team. Zari overhears and asks Nate if it’s Ava on the other side of the door. When he nods, she turns to head for the door when he grabs her arm, giving her a look, pleading for Zari to ignore her. She shakes out of his grasp and opens the door for Ava.

“You have a lot of explaining to do,” she scolds as Ava enters. Ray and Mick join the three of them in the common space. 

“What’s she doing here?” Ava knows Mick has never been her biggest fan, but hearing the utter disdain he feels for her in his voice hurts more than she was expecting. 

“I know how incredibly terrible you all must think I am,” Ava starts, unable to make eye contact with any of the Legends. 

“You broke her heart, Ava!” Ray yells abruptly. Ava’s never seen the usually even-keeled man so emotional. “She was devastated when you left, and if you think you coming here and apologizing will make up for that--”

“Ray,” Zari interrupts, grabbing his hand to give him a squeeze showing her support of his feelings. Then she addresses the rest of the Legends. “Look, I know we’re all pissed at Ava right now, and she knows that too.” She says the last part glancing back in Ava’s direction. Turning back to face the team, “She knew what coming back here would mean, how she’d have to face us, this.” Mick, Ray, and Nate are all glaring at Ava during Zari’s speech, unable to let go of their feelings. “And she chose to come back anyway. Don’t you think we owe it to Sara to at least hear her out?” The trio looks at Zari for the first time, taking the time to think through her words. Finally, they all nod in agreement, and Zari motions for Ava to continue.

“I know it’s going to take a while to earn back your trust, but honestly, I could listen to you all yell at me for the next week if you’ll continue calling me Ava,” she says as they all look at her with confused expressions. 

It suddenly dawns on Zari what she means, so she moves closer to Ava, giving her a hug. “Lori’s convinced them all that you’re her, hasn’t she?” Ava’s lower lip trembles as she nods, tears now flowing from her eyes. Zari holds on to Ava as the rest of the team comes in for a group hug. Ava spends the next several hours telling the Legends all about what’s been happening in National City.

**A few weeks later in National City...**

“Sara! I’m so glad you could make it!” Lena welcomes her with an awkward hug as Sara enters the wine bar. It’s late afternoon, and Lena has arranged for the pair to have the entire place to themselves. It’s a small place on the boardwalk with an amazing view of the ocean. Lena has been meaning to get to know Sara better, but with all the craziness with Lori, running both of her companies, and Kara’s proposal she’s been busy. Now that things have settled down a bit, she thought she’d use the guise of picking out wines for the reception as an opportunity to get to know the woman her sister is madly in love with.

“Thanks for the invitation,” Sara says as she slips off her leather jacket. “I have been wanting to get to know you better, not to mention prove that I’m not all bad after the whole licking the floor thing,” she laughs recalling how much fun they all had at game night.

“Maybe one of these game nights I can manage to be on the winning side of one of those wagers,” Lena jokes with a wink, as their server brings over three champagnes for the women to try out.

“To being on the same side,” Sara says, as she holds up her glass to cheers with Lena. Lena obliges and the pair enjoy the bubblies. Once they take a sip of each one, Lena asks Sara for her thoughts. “Oh, definitely the second one. It had the best balance of crisp...ha, you don’t agree,” halfway through detailing her thoughts, she sees Lena’s eyebrow raise as she tries to stifle her apparent dislike of the second champagne.

“I’m sorry, that one was my least favorite,” Lena says through a laugh. “It was too dry, and, ugh, I don’t know, too fizzy? Is that possible?” she looks to Sara, hoping she hasn’t ruined things in the first five minutes.

“Hey, you are the bride.” Sara gently rubs her shoulder to let Lena know her feelings aren’t hurt. “So what if our taste in bubbly doesn’t jive. Ava and I have been known to come to blows over which scotch is the best,” she laughs as Lena’s eyes grow wide.

As their server drops off their flight of white wines to try, Lena asks, “You know, I don’t think I’ve heard the story of how you two met. Would you mind telling me about it?”

With a smirk Sara replies, “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours. How did you and Kara meet?”

A huge smile forms on Lena’s face as she takes a sip of her wine, remembering her first interactions with Kara as herself and as Supergirl. “Well, I actually met Supergirl first. My plane had a malfunction and was about to crash land in the harbor right out there,” Lena points straight ahead of them to show Sara. “She came out of nowhere and guided the plane to a soft landing on the beach. We actually got ice cream afterwards at that little place right there.” 

Noticing how giddy Lena is recalling their first meeting, Sara can’t pass up an opportunity to ask, “And how many scoops did it take you to realize you were head over heels for her?” Lena shakes her head at Sara’s question, prompting a “What?” from Sara.

“That’s exactly what Ava asked when I told her the story.” Both women laugh and enjoy another sip of their wines. “Kara on the other hand, came to my office to interview me about my purchase of CatCo. She was very attached to Cat Grant who used to own CatCo, and I think she used the interview as a pretext to grill me.”

As Lena finishes her last tasting glass, Sara asks tentatively, “Were there any winners in this group?”

Taking a minute to review her notes, Lena says, “Oh definitely the first one. The other two were both too sweet.” She looks up from her notes at Sara, who’s trying really hard, but failing to hide a smirk. “You hated the first one,” Lena says, shaking her head.

“Let’s just say I’ve had better white wines,” Sara can no longer hide her laugh. “Man, I am not getting invited to help you taste wine for your second wedding,” she jokes as Lena’s jaw drops. 

“You, jerk,” Lena playfully pushes Sara out of her seat, who quickly recovers her balance. Sara is so relieved to see this side of Lena. With things going so well with Ava again, she’s been feeling her ring burning a whole in her pocket, and she wants to make sure she has Lena’s blessing before she eventually does ask Ava to marry her. Sara doesn’t get intimidated easily, but she has to admit, Ava’s younger sister definitely knows how to throw her weight around and command a room. “Your turn by the way,” Lena adds as Sara resumes her seat next to her.

Right as Sara is about to begin, their server brings over their flight of red wines. Lena doesn’t think she’s seen someone grin as hard as Sara as she begins to detail how she first met Ava. “Well, back before my team and I set up our own operation, we were working for this guy, Rip Hunter. He had us on this surveillance mission, but things happened, and we ended up needing to apprehend this punk. He was about to get away when out of nowhere we see this ninja corner him. She takes off her mask, and I’m standing there, in total shock because I can’t believe someone so beautiful can be so fast and so good at hand-to-hand combat. So, you know my jaw is down near my feet as she’s reading me the riot act about how we didn’t follow protocol and I’m sure a bunch of other important things,” Sara laughs thinking about that first time she laid eyes on Ava, dressed in her black suit with her hair falling in loose curls around her face.

“Come to think of it, she was always a stickler for the rules,” Lena jokes as she starts tasting the red wines. Lena is so relieved to see this side of Sara. She never questioned how much she cares for Ava, but she has to admit to herself, she was so intimidated by her at first. For someone with such a petite frame, she knows how to size people up and get under their skin. 

“Lena, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you,” Sara says, her tone growing serious for the first time. “The night that you called Ava, I was planning to propose to her. I didn’t realize she had any family, but now that I know about you, well, I’m really glad that she has you.”

Lena thinks back to the first time Ava was in her office, when she told her how she was planning to propose to Sara that same night. Lena narrows her eyes at Sara, trying to see if she can get a read on whether Sara and Ava have talked about that. Realizing they haven’t, Lena doesn’t want to be the one to share that. Lena gives Sara a hug, and it’s so much less awkward than when they first arrived. “I’m really glad she has you too, even if we have completely opposite tastes in wine,” she laughs.

“Let me guess, you thought the third one was the best?” Sara jokes.

“Umm, I know the third one was the best,” Lena laughs. “Let me guess, you loved the second one?” 

Sara rolls her eyes as their server brings over a flight of dessert wines. “Lena,” she starts nervously, “I want you and Kara to have a great engagement and wedding. There will come a time afterwards when I ask Ava, provided we don’t get any more mysterious phone calls,” she says with a smirk.

Lena puts her last glass of wine forward, prompting Sara to clink glasses with her. “Welcome to the family, Lance.”

**A few days later...**

“Awwww, this one is definitely the one!” Lori says, her eyes tearing up looking at Lena in the fifth wedding dress she’s tried on. She knew Ava would act like a hormonal mess at the sight of her baby sister trying on wedding dresses, so she’s doing her best to play the part. However, her constant claiming that each successive dress was ‘the one’ was starting to drain Lena and Sara, neither of whom feel any dress Lena has tried on yet is in fact ‘the one.’ 

Lena stares at Sara, silently begging her to help with Lori’s lack of valuable feedback on the dresses. “Babe, I know you think every dress looks amazing, but we are trying to narrow down options,” Sara says, giving Lori a gentle peck on the forehead. 

“Sara, what do you think?” Lena asks, feeling exposed in her current dress. It’s strapless with a long train, but in her opinion doesn’t compliment her body shape.

“It’s a no from me,” she does her best Simon Cowell impression. 

“Hey, how’s it going over here?” Kara asks as she and Alex approach the trio. 

“She looks amazing in all of them,” Lori says, wiping a tear from her eye. 

“Why don’t we go grab some coffee?” Alex asks, whisking Lori away so that the others can focus on picking Lena’s dress. ‘Thank you’ mouth Sara and Lena simultaneously to Alex as the pair head out.

“How’s it really going?” Kara asks, this time directing her question to Sara.

“0 for 5 so far,” she says as Lena heads in to try on dress number 6. “How about you?”

“I knew after the second dress I tried on,” Kara says with a smile. “Alex agreed, but she made me try on the other two I had reserved, just to make sure I didn’t have fomo, but it wasn’t close.”

Just then Lena steps out in dress number six, and Sara and Kara melt into a couple of piles of mush. “Awww, this is the one,” they both say in unison as Lena approaches them.

Lena rolls her eyes, throwing her hands up in frustration, saying, “Great, I traded in one mushy critic for two.”

Sara stands to help Lena up on the landing so she can better see the dress across multiple angles. “No, we’re being serious this time. This is the one, Lena.”

Lena takes a long look at herself across the various mirrors. She definitely feels the most comfortable in this one, and it does a great job of accentuating her body. Like the previous one, this one is also strapless, but with a sweetheart neckline and a not too poofy ball gown silhouette. 

She turns around to face Kara and Sara and is met with Kara’s smile that she fell head over heels for. Kara steps up next to Lena on the platform and dips her, pulling her into a passionate kiss. “This is most definitely the one.”

Once the brides have decided on their dresses, Sara, Lena, and Kara meet up with Alex and Lori to try out wedding cakes. The first bakery turns out to be a dud, with everyone but Kara agreeing every cake and frosting combo was too sweet. “So Kara has officially taken over from Ava as having the least useful opinion,” Sara jokes as they enter the second bakery, earning a playful slap from Lori. 

They are welcomed to the private tasting room in the back where they are presented with champagne to wash down each bite. “OK ladies, this first piece is red velvet with buttercream frosting,” the owner and head pastry chef explains as she presents the five of them with their first piece of cake. Everyone takes a bite, savoring the richness of the red velvet balanced with the soft buttercream. 

“Wow,” Kara says through a full mouth. “I know I keep saying this, but, wow.” 

“Is it bad that I actually agree with her?” Alex asks with a smirk. 

Lena, Sara, and Ava each take another bite, trying to find some negative about the cake, but they all come up empty. “She’s right,” Lena says finally. “This is the best piece of cake I’ve ever tasted.”

“Oh, you are too kind, dear,” the owner says with a smile, bringing in their second piece. “Now this next one is whipped cream frosting with a vanilla cake.” She places each piece in front of the five women, who each take a sip from their champagne before trying it. 

“Soooo good,” Kara says, finding herself unable to make up her mind.

Lena rolls her eyes at her fiance’s inability to choose between food. “The frosting isn’t quite as fluffy or melt-in-your-mouth as the first one.” Her comment earns nods from Sara, Lori, and Alex.

“And finally ladies, here is the marble cake with buttercream frosting,” the owner places the third slice down in front of each woman.

Sensing Kara is about to say how good it is, Alex puts a hand over her sister’s mouth so the other four can critically describe the cake. “This one is good, but there was just something about the richness of the red velvet,” Lori offers. 

“I’m with you, babe.” Sara grabs a piece of her cake and holds it up next to Lori, prompting her to tap their pieces together in mock cheers before devouring the rest of the red velvet slice.

“Well, I guess we can cross wedding dresses and cakes off our list honey,” Lena reaches out for Kara’s hand as they both blissfully fantasize about their upcoming wedding. “Maybe we’ll go shopping for bridesmaids dresses next,” Lena says playfully with an arched eyebrow looking over at Sara, Lori, and Alex.


	16. Cordially Invited

**Undisclosed location near National City…**

“They really don’t suspect a thing?” Damien asks, incredulous their plan has been going off with a hitch thus far. He places a glass of gin rocks in front of Lori and takes a long sip of his tequila rocks, relishing their success.

“What can I say? I’m an amazing actress, and you’re a brilliant strategist,” Lori says, clinking glasses with him. She’s spent the past few months playing the doting big sister as Lena and Kara have been planning their wedding, and if she’s being honest, she doesn’t know how much more she can take. She thought Ava would’ve returned by now to National City, but she and the Legends have remained in Star City, with no signs of leaving.

“How do we want to handle Ava and the Legends?” he asks, his tone growing serious.

“They still don’t have anything concrete to tie us to manipulating Project Restore, do they?” she asks, knowing they have their suspicions that she tampered with the device, and that’s how she’s been able to successfully pull off pretending to be Ava.

“Nothing,” Damien confirms, taking another long sip of his drink.

“I don’t know how much longer I can keep pretending to be her without cracking. And I’m tired of waiting to see Ava and Lena suffer,” Lori huffs out, frustration and impatience clear in her voice.

“Don’t forget about Sara Lance too,” Damien chimes in. “You have that look. What are you thinking?”

Lori looks at him with the most devilish smile he’s ever seen on her. “Can you make sure Zari sees that article about Lena and Kara’s impending nuptials?”

“Of course. What did you have in mind, my love?” he asks, not quite sure what she’s on to.

“If Ava won’t return on her own, let’s give her a little push. She won’t be able to resist seeing her baby sister tie the knot.” Lori rubs her hands together in anticipation of what’s to come.

  
“And when she and the Legends try to convince Sara she’s really Ava?” Damien still isn’t quite getting the full picture.

Lori takes another long sip, savoring the burn of the gin as it slides down her throat. “Let her try. When she’s unable to, I’ll convince Sara she needs to...protect me.”

“That’s bold, even for you,” Damien says, taking a minute to think through Lori’s proposal. “Sara will never be able to let go of what she’s done, forever haunted by her actions. It’s perfect.”

**Meanwhile back in Star City…**

“OK, let’s go over this one more time. I’m sure there’s something we’re missing,” Nate says as he, Ray, and Ava are trying to figure out how Lori was able to convince everyone in National City, namely Sara, that she’s Ava. It’s been several months since Ava returned to Star City, and as great as it’s been working with the Legends again, Ava misses Sara more than anything. Knowing how she’s spending every night with Lori has been eating away at her. Combined with knowing Lena is planning her wedding to Kara with Lori instead of her, Ava is beyond anxious to get back to National City. But they can’t just go back with no plan and no proof that Lori is Lori. So, she and the Legends have been trying to find something to convince them.

“Do we have to?” They’ve been going over the first time Sara called Ava Lori in order to try to piece together how Lori could possibly know about Sara’s family. “It was hard enough living through this once,” Ava says with a sigh.

“Did you ever mention something about Sara’s dad in passing at LCorp? Maybe she overhead you and Lena talking?” Nate offers.

Ava shakes her head. “Lena and I never talked about Sara’s family, much less at LCorp. Plus, I made a point of avoiding Lori as much as possible when we were both there.” Ava stops pacing to sit down, holding her head in her hands. Nate places a comforting hand on her shoulder, but he’s clearly just as frustrated as she is with how Lori is able to pull off her ruse.

“There was a project Lena was developing, focused on memory loss, right?” Ray suddenly chimes in.

Ava looks up at him, not seeing the connection to what they’ve been talking about. “Yea, Project Restore. It helps people with memory loss recapture their memories by literally visualizing them.”

Ray nods, the wheels in his head turning. “And did Lori have access to Lena’s lab where this project was stored?”

“Yea, she brought in some big donor who rescued the project, so Lena and I felt like we had to give her access,” Ava says softly, struggling with so many memories of her family not recognizing her.

“What are you thinking, Ray?” Nate asks, curious what he’s onto.

“Well, Ava said she used the device when she first got back to National City. What if Lori was able to tamper with it and could somehow see all of Ava’s memories?”

“That would explain how Lori could be so convincing for Sara,” Nate agrees. “If she knew everything you knew, it’d be pretty tough to tell you two apart.”

“It’s not a bad theory,” Ava says, pinching the bridge of her nose, “but Lena wiped my session after she did the demo with me. She assured me there was no further content of my memories available.”

“Hey guys, I think I found something you might want to see,” Zari yells to the team, breaking up their brainstorming session. Mick joins the rest of the group as they huddle around Zari’s monitor. “‘You are cordially invited to the wedding of Lena Luthor and Kara Danvers’,” she reads from the article.

“Tomorrow,” Mick grunts in between sips of his beer. “I love weddings.”

Ava’s in shock. She knew they were planning the wedding, she just didn’t think it would be this soon, or that they would actually have it without her. “I need to be there,” she says softly.

“I hate to say it, but you’re public enemy number one. There’s no way they’ll let you within one hundred feet of that church,” Ray says. 

Ava knows he’s right. “That’s why the Legends are coming with me,” she says with a smirk. Zari gets tickets for all of them to fly to National City the next morning, then pulls up the blueprints for the church. 

“Here’s where the ceremony will be held,” she says, pointing to the large hall. “And here is where Lena and Kara are likely to be getting ready beforehand.”

“Kara will be the one waiting at the altar for Lena, and Alex will be with her. That leaves J’onn, Winn, and Lori to get past,” Ava says, feeling the adrenaline of knowing she’s going to see Sara and Lena again soon. “Winn will likely find some clever way to monitor any camera feeds for me. Zari, do you think you can come up with a way to trick him?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Zari says, thinking through how she would tamper with the camera feeds. 

“Mick, you and Nate need to neutralize J’onn. He’s a martian with similar powers as Kara,” Ava tells them.

“Last time I checked, we don’t carry anti-martian guns,” Mick jokes in between another sip of his beer. 

Ava rolls her eyes. She knows there’s only so much they can do, but every extra minute she can get alone with Sara she’ll take. “Just don’t let him go wandering back towards Lena’s room.” Ava turns to Ray. “I need you to create a distraction for Lori to give me some alone time with Sara.”

Ray looks confused. “What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. Spill wine on her dress or something,” Ava offers. 

“I can definitely do that,” Ray says enthusiastically.

“Ava, what are you going to say to Sara? What makes you think she’ll suddenly believe that it’s you?” Zari asks. She’s hoping more than anything that Ava can convince Sara, but she also knows it’s a long shot. 

Ava reaches into her pocket to grab the ring box, opening it to show the Legends. “You were going to propose the night you had to leave,” Nate says, admiring the ring. He’s about to say something about that being funny because of Sara planning to propose that night, but Zari glares at him, imploring him not to. At this point neither knows the other was planning to propose that night, and Zari knows Ava and Sara are better off talking that through themselves. 

“If I had just stayed here and ignored Lena’s call, none of this would be happening right now,” Ava says sadly as Nate puts his hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know if this is going to work, but I have to try to get through to her.”

“Let’s go reunite our moms!” Ray says, high-fiving Nate, as they all get to work, figuring out to enact Ava’s plan to get Sara alone the next day.

**The night before the wedding…**

“I can’t believe the big day is tomorrow,” Kara squeals as she leans over to give Lena a kiss. They, along with Sara and Lori are at the Luthors’ penthouse, enjoying a relaxing dinner before the craziness they know is to come the next day. 

“I can’t believe you managed to find us bridesmaids dresses that don’t suck,” Sara teases, taking a sip of her wine. They all laugh as the timer goes off signaling their food is ready. 

“It smells amazing Sara. What did you whip up for us?” Lena asks.

“Poached salmon in a lemon butter sauce with asparagus,” she says as if it’s no big deal, though she’s easily the best cook of the four of them. She pulls out the salmon from the pan, plating as if she’s on  _ Chopped _ . Lori comes over to help her bring all of the plates over to the table, and the quartet digs in.

“Babe, you really outdid yourself,” Lori says, loving the taste of the fresh fish.

“So are you two nervous at all about tomorrow?” Sara asks as everyone is enjoying the food and the wine.

Lena and Kara look at each other then at Sara. “Nope,” they both say together, then Lena adds, “I know Kara and I had a short engagement, but she’s my best friend. I’ve been in love with her for so long, that tomorrow just feels like a formality.”

A huge smile spreads across Kara’s face. “I feel the same way,” she says, bashfully fidgeting with her glasses.

“I hate to be that person, but,” Lori starts, her tone serious, “I’m worried Lori will make an appearance.”

Sara puts her fork down and reaches for Lori’s hand, giving it a tight squeeze of support. “She’d be stupid to even consider it,” Sara responds, projecting as much confidence as she can. She and Lena have been worried about that very thing happening for the last few days, so they’re both on edge about keeping Ava safe. “Besides, I’ll be with you the whole time. If she tries anything, she’ll have to go through me first.” Sara shows off her powerful arms to physically display what a tough challenge ‘Lori’ would have. 

“My hero,” Lori says coyly, giving Sara a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“OK, enough Lori talk,” Kara says, trying to get the conversation back on a positive note. “Sara, what did you make for dessert?”

Sara can’t help but laugh. “You are truly always thinking about your stomach, Supergirl,” she jokes. They let the rest of the evening pass without another mention of Lori, all four determined not to let the threat of her intervention stop them from celebrating Lena and Kara.


	17. Something Old

“You look absolutely stunning,” Lori says as she helps Lena put the finishing touches on her look. Lena has her hair in a slight updo; her brown locks are more wavy and curly than she typically wears them. Lori had a check-in with Damien earlier that morning, who was able to confirm Zari did in fact see the article with Lena’s wedding announcement, so Lori knows she only has to keep up her ruse for a little while longer. She feigns coming close to tears as she admires how beautiful Lena looks in her dress. “I can’t believe I’m giving my baby sister away today.”

Lena turns around to give her a hug. “Ava, it means the world to me that you’ve been here every step of the way. Not just for the wedding planning, but everything you did to help Kara and me find our way back to each other.” Now Lena’s the one whose eyes start to water. “Shit, I can’t ruin my mascara on my wedding day,” she says with a laugh, trying to fan out her eyes.

“How’s everything going in here?” Sara asks as she pops in. She takes a minute to admire how great her girlfriend looks in her bridesmaid dress. They’re a light blue-gray color with large slits up the left side, allowing Sara an eyeful of Lori’s toned legs. Lori’s hair is down in loose waves and off to one shoulder while Sara’s is down and completely straight. Sara’s fantasizing about getting her out of her dress is cut short by Lori’s reply. 

“I think we are just about ready,” Lori says, letting out a contented sigh.

“Wait,” Lena says, feeling the empty spot where her necklace should be. “I’m missing Mom’s locket,” she says to Lori. “It’s my something old.”

“I’ll find it,” Sara says, heading out, figuring she’ll start with the bathroom as an obvious place. 

Meanwhile, at the altar, Alex is standing next to Kara. “How are you feeling?” she asks, knowing how much Kara has been looking forward to this moment. The church is nearly full at this point with most of the guests starting to take their seats. 

“Like the luckiest woman alive,” Kara gushes. “I can’t wait to see her, Alex.” 

They both spy J’onn and Winn taking their seats and give them a quick wave. Winn is plugged into the church’s camera feed, keeping an eye out for any signs of Lori. Alex has an earpiece set up so she can stay in touch with Winn. She talks into it to make sure so far so good. “How are things looking, Winn?” she whispers.

“All quiet on the western front,” he whispers back, having run through his camera feeds and seeing nothing amiss. 

The Legends and Ava meanwhile manage to sneak in and are currently hiding out down the hall from where Lena is getting ready. Ray and Mick head towards the seating area so they can keep an eye on J’onn. 

Zari helps Ava remove the large robe she’s been wearing to conceal her identity, revealing a stunning silver gown. “OK, Lori, Sara, and Lena are in that room,” Zari says to her, pointing down the hall. “How are you feeling?”

Ava takes a deep breath, her stomach a pile of butterflies as she prepares to see Sara again for the first time in so long. “I’m ready,” she says, more to convince herself than Zari. And then she sees her. The sight of Sara nearly takes Ava’s breath away as she watches her emerge from the bathroom, her mother’s locket in her hands.

“Showtime,” Zari whispers as she disappears, making sure Sara and Ava have time to talk.

“Sara,” Ava says to get her attention as she approaches Sara from behind. Knowing that who she thinks is Ava is in the room ahead of her, Sara deduces that voice must belong to Lori. She quickly grabs the knife she has hidden in her dress and pulls Ava to her, holding the knife to her throat.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now,” Sara seethes.

Ava tries to steady her breathing. She knew she wouldn’t exactly be welcomed back with open arms, but even she was not expecting this kind of reception. Ava slowly reaches into her pocket, pulling out the ring box and holding it up for Sara. 

“What’s this?” Sara asks, confused, slowly lowering her arm holding the knife.

“Sara, I never told you this, but the night that Lena called me, I was planning to propose to you. I love you, and I’m not giving up on us,” Ava tells her, her voice soft but firm. 

Sara looks her in the eyes, trying to figure out why she inherently believes what Ava is saying. She remembers when she told who she thought was Ava about nearly proposing to her that same night.  _ Why wouldn’t she have just told me then? _ She wonders.

Ray sees Lori emerge from Lena’s room and grabs a drink to run interference. He pretends to not see her and runs straight into her, spilling his champagne all over her dress. “You idiot!” She yells, before realizing who he is and what his presence there means. As he tries to apologize, she looks around for Sara. Not seeing her, she heads down the hallway towards the bathroom, until she hears Sara and Ava talking. Catching the last bit about Ava planning to propose to Sara, she interjects, eager to make sure Sara thinks Ava is Lori. “Are you really buying this, babe?”

“Of course not,” Sara says, trying to convince herself more than anyone. Seeing Ray out of the corner of her eye, she shouts at Ava, “You roped my friends into this? You couldn’t just leave us all alone, could you?” 

“Sara, please, I--” Ava’s plea to convince Sara is cut short by Lena, quickly approaching the trio. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” a worked up Lena snarls at Ava, pointing a gun at her.

“Woah, I think that might be a bit much,” Ray says, seeing Lena’s gun. 

“Who the hell is he?” Lena asks angrily, her glare never leaving Ava’s face. 

“She got to my friends,” Sara replies, disappointed in her team for falling for Lori’s manipulations.

Ava should be terrified. Her sister is holding a loaded gun pointed directly at her. But the joy of seeing Lena with her dress and her hair temporarily overrides her fear. She’s never seen something so beautiful before. “Lena, you look, wow,” she starts, but Lena cuts her off.

“Don’t you dare try to manipulate me, Lori! I told you if you ever came near us again, I would kill you. I’m not going to let you ruin what should be the happiest day of my life!”

Sensing how emotional Lena is, Sara gently grabs the gun from her before turning it on Ava. “In an effort not to spill blood on her wedding day, I’m going to make you the same offer Lena did months ago,” Sara tells Ava. Ray tries to protest, but Sara isn’t listening. Clicking the safety off, she warns, “If you leave now, I won’t hunt you down.”

Ava takes a deep breath, wondering if she could live the rest of her life without Sara and Lena. Knowing how unbearable that would be, she accepts her fate and tells Sara the only thing she can think to say. “I left you once, and it was the worst mistake of my life. I won’t do that again, Sara. If you don’t believe me, you might as well shoot me, because I’m never going to stop fighting for us.”

For half a second her words resonate with Sara and she considers maybe this could be Ava. But then Lori turns toward Sara, cowering into her in total fear of what those words mean. In that moment Sara finally understands all of Ava’s warnings about the lengths Lori is capable of.  _ The only way to truly keep Ava safe is to kill Lori _ , she thinks. And with that thought running through her mind, Sara pulls the trigger, hitting her target. When Ava doesn’t go down, Sara is afraid she might come after them, so she pulls the trigger again.

Hearing Ava’s speech, Ray can’t help but be impressed. He knows how much she and Sara have gone through for their relationship, and he thinks he can see a crack in Sara’s resolve, even if it’s just for a fraction of a second. But he’s unprepared for what happens next. As Lori reaches for Sara he can see her anger return in spades as she shoots Ava. Ray thinks he’s hallucinating, until he hears the second shot, his heart breaking as he thinks about how Sara will feel when she learns the truth.

Lena can’t believe Lori is willing to die rather than run away to plan her next move, and she’s wondering what kind of trick her little speech was. Lena knows Lori will stop at nothing to destroy Ava, which is why she brought the gun to the church. She knew Lori would make an appearance, and she needed to protect her family. Lena is about to grab the gun back from Sara to finish what she intends to do, but then Sara follows through on her threat. Lena thinks she hasn’t felt this much relief since the day Lori went to prison.

Ava thinks she’s getting through to Sara as she can see her resolve falter for just a split second. But the instant Lori moves towards Sara, she knows she’s lost. Sara would do anything to protect her, and that’s exactly what Lori is counting on. The first bullet tears into her like a dagger, a searing hot pain on the left side of her abdomen. Ava feels frozen, knowing she needs to do or say something, but all she can do is stand there, staring at Sara, in complete disbelief at her actions. Just as she’s registering the pain of the first bullet, she feels the second, hitting her like a semi-truck at full speed. The next thing Ava knows, she’s falling.

Ava can’t breathe. She looks up at Sara, whose stare conveys a fierceness Ava usually loved. But it’s never before been directed at her. Ava tries to speak, tries to find the strength to tell Sara she still loves her, but the pain in her side is overwhelming. Sara looks down at the gun in her hands, then over to Lena. Releasing a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding, Sara says, relieved, “At least now it’s over.”


	18. You Chose Wrong

The room is quiet, the only sounds coming from Ava’s labored breathing. Even Lori can’t believe she’s managed to get Sara to shoot the person she loves most. Relishing seeing her twin in pain, Lori looks down at Ava, who’s eyes begin to close. Satisfied that she accomplished what she needed to, after a few more seconds of savoring her victory, Lori backs away from Sara, planning her escape route, and says, “It is for you. You chose wrong.”

Before Lena, Sara, or Ray can fully comprehend the meaning behind her words, Lori starts running down the hallway, kicking off her shoes to put more distance between them. Ray runs after her knowing they can’t let her leave the church. Zari, who had emerged from her hiding spot after hearing the gun shots, goes down another hallway, remembering it meets back up with where Lori is heading. Ray passes Mick and Nate, who start following him.

“What’s going on? Why are we running?” Nate yells after Ray.

“We can’t let Lori get away!” Ray implores them.

Lori turns down another hallway and comes face-to-face with Zari on the other end. Zari knows she’s physically no match for Lori, but if she can slow her down long enough for the guys to show up, that would be enough. As Lori approaches Zari, she can’t help but take a minute to gloat, knowing she’s all that stands between her and escape. “I see you found the wedding announcement. Thanks for bringing Ava here - couldn’t have done this without you. Now, get out of my way!” 

Zari holds her ground as Lori is about to throw a punch at her. But Mick comes charging in and tackles Lori. Once he has her pinned, Ray punches Lori as hard as he can, knocking her out. Disappointed they were unable to save Ava, Ray and Zari both take solace in knowing they’ve at least apprehended Lori, and can get some answers from her. “Hey, how did things go with Ava? Was she able to get through to Sara?” Nate asks as they start to bring Lori back to where Sara and Ava are. Zari and Ray sadly shake their heads as the team heads back in silence.

Meanwhile at the altar, Alex feels Kara suddenly squeeze her hand tightly. Looking over at her sister, she sees a look of pure fear on Kara’s face. “What’s wrong?” Alex whispers.

“I just heard gunshots,” Kara says softly. “Coming from the direction of Lena’s room,” she adds, her heart breaking at the thought that something happened to her. 

Alex squeezes her hand back and whispers to Winn, “Kara just heard gunshots. Are you picking anything up on camera?”

Winn double checks his feed and runs through every angle he has available. All show the same thing, empty hallways. Then it dawns on him. “Alex, I think someone hacked my feed.”

Alex’s eyes go wide, understanding that something is very wrong. “Help me start clearing out the guests. There’s not going to be a wedding today,” she whispers softly to him.

‘You chose wrong.’ The words hit Lena like a bus, and she’s overcome with a wave of nausea as she watches Lori run off. Turning back to look at Ava, she’s haunted by how still her sister is, blood seeping out of two holes in her stomach. She wants to go to her, tell her how sorry she is for not believing her, and beg her to fight as hard as she can. But as much as that would make Lena feel better right now, it’s not what Ava needs. Knowing she needs to act fast, Lena takes off towards Kara.

Lena is met with all of their guests leaving the church as she desperately looks around for Kara. She finally spots her, talking to Alex, Winn, and J’onn. “Baby, you’re OK,” Kara says through tears at seeing Lena approach them, relief washing over her. She wraps up Lena in the biggest, most protective hug she can. “What happened? I heard gunshots?”

Replaying the scene of Sara shooting Ava in her mind, brings Lena to tears. “It’s, It’s Ava,” she manages to get out. “We need Supergirl, and the best doctor in National City,” she says the last part to Alex, understanding written on both her and Kara’s faces. The four of them follow Lena back to the hallway outside her room, as Kara dons her Supergirl outfit.

‘You chose wrong.’ Sara’s heart stops when she hears Lori utter those words. As Lori runs out of the room with Ray hot on her tail, all Sara can think is that she couldn’t possibly have been wrong. Because that would mean...the weight of her actions finally hit Sara as she runs to Ava’s side. Surveying the damage she’s done brings Sara to tears. She can’t breathe, and she can taste bile in her mouth.  _ Ava’s dying, and it’s because of me _ , is the only thought running through her head. 

As she kneels next to Ava, she tears off a piece of her dress and presses it as hard as she can against one of Ava’s wounds. “What have I done?” Sara cries out, doing everything she can to stop the bleeding. 

It’s not enough. Ava’s dress, once a sparkling silver, is now covered in a sickening dark red color. Sara slides an arm underneath Ava, pulling her close. She’s cold and paler than Sara’s ever seen. Sara’s afraid she may already be too late, but she feels a weak pulse, giving her renewed hope. Sara puts even more pressure on the wound, eliciting a small whimper from Ava, who struggles to open her eyes. She looks up at Sara, disoriented, staring into the bright blue eyes of the woman she loves. “Ava,” Sara whispers, her voice cracking. “Stay with me,” she begs.

Ava reaches her hand up to cup Sara’s cheek, softly wiping away her tears. She’s in so much pain, each breath more painful than the one before. Her vision is fading, the blackness at the edges creeping closer towards the center. All she can focus on is Sara, and how amazing it feels to hear her call her Ava after so long. There are so many things she wants to tell Sara. How much she’s missed her. How angry she is with her for being fooled by Lori. But the only words that she can get out are a soft, “I love you, Sara.”

It’s barely louder than a whisper, but Sara hears it, her heart breaking at seeing Ava in so much pain, knowing she’s responsible. She’s about to say something back, when she feels Ava’s hand leave her cheek and sees her eyes drift close. “No!” she screams, not ready to let go of Ava.

Supergirl, Lena, and the Superfriends approach the pair as the Legends bring an unconscious Lori over. “Sara, I need you to let me take her,” Kara says gently. But Sara can’t bring herself to let go of Ava, knowing she might never be able to hold her again. “Please,” Kara begs, “it’s the only way to save her life.” Realizing Kara is right, Sara gently guides Ava into Supergirl’s arms, who wraps her cape tightly around Ava in an effort to slow the bleeding. Kara looks over to J’onn who has Alex. He gives her a nod, and the two aliens take off for the DEO.

Sara stands up, suddenly very aware of how wet her dress feels. She looks down, horrified, seeing Ava’s blood everywhere. Sensing her panic, Nate slips off his jacket and wraps it around Sara, giving her a small smile. “C’mon,” Lena says softly. “We can take the limo to the DEO.”


	19. Detour

**Undisclosed location outside National City…**

‘At least now it’s over.’ 

“Sweetheart, it’s just beginning,” Damien laughs as he eats another piece of popcorn. Watching Ava’s latest memories like they’re episodes of  _ The Bachelor _ , Damien moves on to the next one, and laughs, giddy with delight, at the sight of Sara realizing what she’s done to Ava. “Oh, my woman is good! Even I can’t believe she pulled this off.” 

Sara’s cry of anguish is the last thing Damien hears before the screen goes to black. He tries looking for the next recording, but realizes that’s the last one. “She must be dead,” he thinks, optimistically. “My Lori managed to get Sara to kill the woman she loves,” he’s in awe as he takes a sip of his tequila. “That scream alone is worth the months of planning this operation took. You took away the person I love most, Sara. I’m just returning the favor,” he says bitterly.

Damien takes another long sip of his tequila, then realizes that he hasn’t heard anything from Lori, and that Ava’s latest memory is over an hour old. “Strange. I would’ve thought she’d be here by now.” He checks his watch and turns on the television, seeing coverage of guests leaving the wedding with the headline,  _ Luthor-Danvers Wedding Abruptly Canceled _ . “Yea, on account of bridesmaid wars,” he laughs like he’s the funniest person he knows. Damien looks for Lori in the crowd, as their plan was for her to escape while everyone was being let out, but there are no signs of her. He checks his phone again, and seeing nothing, he lets out an exasperated sigh. “Shit, Lori, you know I can’t call you. Where the hell are you?” genuine concern in his voice. 

**Meanwhile at the DEO...**

Supergirl lands as gently as possible once they reach the DEO. She carefully places an unconscious Ava on the gurney, so Alex, who J’onn has just landed with, along with her team, can start fixing her. “What am I dealing with?” Alex asks Kara, frantically cutting through Ava’s dress and Kara’s cape. The team starts checking Ava’s vitals, dismayed by how cold she is and her falling blood pressure. 

“Two gunshot wounds,” Kara starts with a heavy sigh, “No exit wounds. The one on her right missed any vital organs, but it’s lodged near her kidney.” She gulps before detailing the rest to Alex. “The one on her left, I think it hit her spleen, Alex. There’s so much blood,” Kara manages to get out.

Kara can’t take her eyes off of Ava. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so powerless. She woke up that morning, happier than ever, blissfully looking forward to marrying the woman of her dreams. Never in a million years could she have imagined she would end up here, unable to help one of her best friends, currently fighting for her life. If Ava didn’t make it, Kara wasn’t sure how she could face Lena, knowing she couldn’t protect them.

“BP’s falling, pulse is thready. Director, we need you to remove these bullets, now,” a member of Alex’s medical team urges, bringing Kara out of the darkness of her thoughts.

“Can we get this bleeding under control?” Alex shouts as she directs the team through the atrium and into an operating room. The last thing Kara sees before they go through the double doors is Alex starting chest compressions on Ava.

**In another area of the DEO...**

“Follow me,” J’onn says as he leads the Legends through the cells in the basement of the DEO. Mick and Ray are carrying a still unconscious Lori and not so gently deposit her on the floor of the cell, locking the door behind them.

For the first time since getting off their plane, they all take a minute to process the recent events. “What happened?” asks J’onn, pain evident on his face as he feels the weight of letting Ava down.

Feeling the Legends’ eyes on him, Ray begins to recall what he witnessed. “She was getting through to her. I saw a flicker of doubt on her face as Ava was trying to convince her, but,” he feels his voice trembling. He wishes he had done more, forced Sara to listen somehow. He takes a deep breath to steady himself before continuing. “But Lori tapped into Sara’s protective instinct, pretending to be afraid of Ava trying to hurt her. Sara’s willingness to go to any lengths to protect the people she loves, that’s what Lori was counting on. And she used it against both of them.”

Nate puts a hand on Ray’s shoulder, trying to offer any comfort he can. J’onn lets out a deep sigh, turning back to stare at Lori, his despair changing to rage. “How long?” he growls over his shoulder.

“Before the proposal,” Zari replies quietly. 

“GAHHHHHHH!!!” J’onn smacks the glass of Lori’s cell as he lets his anger erupt in a long yell. 

“Are we still the dream team?” comes a mumble from inside the cell.

J’onn rushes for the door to Lori’s cell, eager to take his frustrations out on her, but Ray stops him. “J’onn, J’onn,” he says calmly. “I know how you’re feeling, and I know what you want to do to her, because it’s taking everything I have not to join you. Let’s take a walk.” J’onn looks Ray in the eyes, and after a second, nods in agreement. The pair head off, leaving Zari, Nate, and Mick alone with Lori.

Lori makes eye contact with Zari, smiling as she says, “Ah, the woman I owe everything to. Seriously, Zari I couldn’t have done this without you,” Lori mocks.

“Stop it,” Zari’s eyes start to water as she thinks about how Ava ended up at the church.

“What’s she talking about?” Nate asks, his hands on his hips.

Zari looks at Nate, her lower lip trembling. “She wanted Ava there. She used me to let Ava know about the details of the wedding, knowing she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see Lena and Sara.” Nate pulls Zari into a hug, rubbing circles on her back to try and calm her down.

“Why?” Mick asks gruffly. When Lori’s brow furrows in confusion, he asks more explicitly. “Why be so cruel to the only family you have left?”

“Family?” Lori asks, indignantly. “Is that what she told you? We haven’t been family in over ten years.” Nate thinks he sees a brief flash of hurt on Lori’s face, but it’s quickly replaced by her cool demeanor. 

“When were you supposed to check-in?” Zari asks, seeing if they can get Lori to divulge any information about who she’s working with.

“Check-in?” Lori smiles. “You don’t think I could’ve pulled this off on my own?” she feigns hurt.

“We know you have a partner, and we know your exit strategy from the church was blown,” Zari explains as calmly as she can muster. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lori responds cooly. “Everything is going according to my plan.”

Realizing she has a card to play, Zari decides to try and rattle Lori a little bit. “You don’t know, do you? That perfect little plan of yours has taken a detour.” She takes a step closer to Lori, wanting to get a good look at her reaction. “Ava’s still alive,” she says with a small smile as Lori’s face falls, realizing she’s trapped and without a way to contact Damien.

Elsewhere in the DEO Sara and Lena arrive to meet Kara who’s just left Ava. Seeing the sight of so much blood, Ava’s blood, all over both of them overwhelms Lena, who vomits in the nearest trash can. Kara tries to help her, but she pushes her away. Lena’s still in her wedding dress, and all she can think about is how far downhill the day has gone. She was supposed to marry her best friend, the woman she’s madly in love with. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Instead she’s praying that Alex can save her sister’s life.  _ If I hadn’t brought that gun to the church, none of this would be happening _ , she laments.

Just then Winn walks over with a pair of scrubs for each of them, “I thought you could all use something a little more comfortable.” He knows how terrible Sara, Kara, and Lena are feeling, and he knows they are probably going to be there for a while. He can’t believe the part he played in Ava getting hurt, the part Lori manipulated him into playing, he thinks. He wonders how long she was able to fool all of them, and how she was able to do it so convincingly. 

Sara doesn’t remember showering. She doesn’t remember scrubbing and scrubbing and scrubbing to get all of the dried blood off her hands and arms. She doesn’t remember changing, and she doesn’t remember walking back to wait outside the DEO operating room. All she can remember is Ava begging her to believe her and how much pain she was in, pain that Sara caused.  _ How could I have been so stupid? How could I not tell the woman I love from her deranged, maniac of a sister? _

Kara hands Sara a cup of coffee, bringing her out of her dark memories. “You should have some, Sara. It’s going to be a long night,” Kara says sadly, when Sara pushes her away. Seeing tears forming in Sara’s eyes, Kara wraps her up in the most comforting hug she can muster. “We’re all worried sick about her, but you, better than any of us, know she’s too stubborn to die.”

Sara sniffles, pulling back to look Kara in the eyes before hanging her head in shame. “It’s my fault, Kara,” she gets out between sobs, her voice breaking. “I did this to her. If she dies, and I don’t get the chance to tell her what she means to me…” Sara can’t finish the thought, knowing it would destroy her. 

“I’m the one who brought the gun to the church,” Lena joins the pair, reaching out an arm for Sara to bring her into a hug, both women sobbing. “She never would’ve been hurt if I didn't let Lori manipulate me into bringing it.”

“There’s plenty of blame to go around,” Zari says sadly as the Legends approach the Superfriends. “She never would have been at that church if it weren’t for us.”

“Oh, Z.” Sara runs to her best friend, holding her as tightly as possible. 

“I don’t understand,” Kara shakes her head trying to process what Sara and Lena are saying. “We knew Lori would try something. How did Ava get hurt?”

Lena wipes away a stray tear, explaining, “Lori fooled us. It’s been her the whole time, dress shopping, cake tasting. She convinced us Ava was her,” she reaches out for Kara again, tears streaming down her face at the guilt of what she’s done to Ava. 

The realization that she’s spent the past several months with Lori instead of Ava finally hits Kara. She can’t believe she allowed herself to fall for Lori’s deception. She’s supposed to be this all-powerful alien who saves people when they’re in danger.  _ This whole time, Ava’s been in danger from us _ , she thinks. But Kara knows she can’t let her guilt consume her. Lena and Sara need her to be strong as they deal with their own feelings. 

“Has she said anything useful?” Kara asks, resisting the urge to march down to the basement and use her Kryptonian powers on Lori. 

“Didn’t have to,” Mick mutters. 

A confused Kara looks at Zari who explains, “The look on her face when I told her Ava was still alive...she tried to hide it, but we could all see she wasn’t expecting that. It definitely wasn’t part of her plan to get captured.”

“Well, it’s about time we started to get some breaks. We need to figure out who she’s working with,” Kara says. 

“And how she was able to fool all of us for so long,” Lena adds. 

“Yea, we might have an idea about that,” Ray offers. 

“How did you know, Z?” Sara looks at her friend, searching her eyes for an answer to something obvious she and the Superfriends missed. 

Zari sighs, recalling Ava’s not so friendly reunion with them. “She knew how much we hated her for leaving you the way she did. And she chose to come to us anyway. Only the real Ava would do that,” she says the last part quietly. “Plus, we didn’t have her doppelgänger running around trying to confuse us.”

Sara’s about to ask Ray what he meant by his idea about Lori’s deception, when Alex comes through the doors. Kara’s never seen her look more tired. Everyone rushes to Alex, eager to hear word of Ava’s condition. 


	20. Old Wounds

Zari reaches out a hand for Sara, who gladly accepts it, squeezing so hard, Zari can nearly feel her circulation being cut off. 

Alex takes off her scrub cap as she approaches the crowd, Sara and Lena closest to her. They’re looking at her like she’s the angel of death, about to deliver the worst news a person can. The surgery was the toughest Alex has ever performed, in no small part due to her personal feelings for Ava. It was the first time she ever had to operate on a friend, and the sounds of Ava flatlining during surgery are still fresh in her mind.

After taking a deep breath, Alex begins informing the team, “She made it through surgery, and we’re getting her set up in a room now.” Her voice is even as she’s trying her best not to let her emotions betray just how close she came to failing. She can feel the group heave a collective sigh of relief at hearing Ava is still alive. But she still has more to tell them. “She lost a lot of blood. Besides Lena, is anyone else here O negative?”

Mick raises his hand. “OK, our supplies are low, and she’s going to need additional transfusions. If you two are willing to donate, Agent Shaw can help with that,” she gestures to the woman behind her on her left. Alex can’t bear to look at Lena or Sara for the next part, so she finds Kara’s eyes and focuses on them. “One of the bullets hit her spleen, and while it didn’t rupture, Ava suffered a lot of internal bleeding. The next twenty-four to forty-eight hours will be critical as there’s the possibility that it could still rupture.”

The Legends all look at Sara, whose grip around Zari’s hand has only grown tighter. She’s trying to keep her breathing calm, and she’s staring at the floor, trying unsuccessfully to keep her horrible memories from the prior day at bay. Kara meanwhile can’t take her eyes off of Lena, who’s doing her best to hold it together. But Kara can see the faint tremble of Lena’s lower lip, and the way her shoulders hunch slightly forward. She softly brushes her hand against Lena’s, trying to impart any reassurances she can muster.

“When can I see her?” Lena asks, her eyes misty. 

“Let’s get you all settled with the donation first, then I can take you to her,” Alex replies. Agent Shaw directs Lena and Mick back to an exam room where she gets them set up for their blood donations. After about an hour, Alex collects Lena to bring her to Ava. 

Lena is struck by how pale Ava is, noting she could blend right into the sheets. Her long blonde locks, normally vibrant and shiny, are dull and dry. Lena can see all of the various tubes and machines Ava’s hooked up to, displaying all of her vital stats. “I’ll give you some privacy,” Alex says quietly. “If you need anything, just press the call button on the side of her bed.”

Lena slowly walks over to Ava’s bed, pulling a chair over to take a seat. She gently grabs Ava’s left hand, intertwining their fingers. She can’t help but think how good it feels just to be near her again after being apart for so long. “You’re not allowed to leave me, you know,” she says softly as her eyes begin to mist. “Legally, I mean. It’s in the contract I made you sign. 30 days notice at a minimum.” She sniffles, hoping her making light of the situation will keep her tears at bay. Despite her best efforts, Lena’s memories of the last time she was in the hospital with Ava come rushing back to her.

_ Lena was just getting home from seeing a movie with friends. It was a stupid romcom, but provided just the right amount of distraction she needed. Things with her family had been rough lately. Lori’s fiance had recently died in a car accident, and she blamed Ava for his death. Lena had never been particularly close to Lori; she always seemed so self-absorbed and rarely showed an interest in Lena. Ava, on the other hand, was the best big sister Lena could’ve ever asked for. Despite their age difference, the two were best friends.  _

_ Lena closed the front door, noticing how unusually quiet their house was. She thought maybe everyone was asleep already, but she wasn’t tired, so she ventured into the kitchen looking for something to munch on. The moment she entered Lena was met with the most horrifying sight imaginable. Her parents and Ava were all lying on the floor, motionless, covered in blood. She called for an ambulance, then started checking to see if they were still alive. After not feeling a pulse in her mom or her dad, Lena makes her way over to Ava, terrified she’s lost all of them.  _

_ She’s overwhelmed with relief when she feels Ava’s pulse, faint but steady. She’d been shot in the stomach, so Lena grabs a dish towel off the counter to put pressure on her wound. “Ava, can you hear me?” Lena’s voice, along with her hands, is shaking. She can’t lose Ava and her parents all in the same night. The next thing Lena remembered was a doctor bringing her to Ava’s room in the hospital, explaining a bunch of medical terms she didn’t understand. The two things she did understand were that if the bullet had hit Ava one inch to the left she would’ve been paralyzed, and if she hadn’t gotten to the hospital when she did, she would’ve bled to death.  _

_ Six months later Lori was sent to prison for their parents’ murder and for trying to kill Ava, who had made a full recovery, but her relationship with Lena became strained. Lena never told Ava about finding them, and Ava never told Lena about what happened, both too haunted by their painful memories. Eventually, Ava felt that she couldn’t stay in National City any longer and left to try to find someplace to start over. _

Lena sits with Ava for a while, the only sounds coming from Lena’s soft sobs and the beeping of medical equipment. All of a sudden Lena feels a faint pressure on her hand, and she sees Ava’s eyes flutter open. Ava looks around the room, a bit disoriented, until her gaze settles on the familiar deep green of Lena’s eyes. Her mind feels foggy, like she’s in a dream, and Ava tries to remember where she was before. But the only thing she can remember is Sara holding her, which must have been a dream because they all still think she’s Lori, right?

“Lena,” Ava tries to get out but her mouth is dry and her voice hoarse. Lena retrieves a small cup of water, giving it to Ava to help soothe her throat. 

“You’re at the DEO,” Lena begins to explain, trying to keep her voice calm. She has no idea what Ava remembers about the previous day’s events. “You just got out of surgery. Alex says you’re going to be OK,” she says with a smile, but she can see confusion on Ava’s face. 

“What happened?” Ava asks softly. Now that she’s a bit more awake, she’s aware of two throbbing sensations in her stomach along with a certain heaviness on her chest making each breath feel like a significant effort. The scene is familiar as Ava recalls waking up ten years ago in a hospital to Lena explaining that Lori had killed their parents. Even talking takes a great deal of effort, but Ava needs to know what happened this time. At least Lena knows she’s Ava. “The last thing I remember is seeing Sara, with Mom’s locket.”

Lena takes a deep breath. She knows as hard as this will be for her to explain, it’ll be that much harder for Ava to hear and relive. “We thought you were Lori. I saw you talking to Sara, and I was so scared that Lori was going to hurt you, not realizing…” she trails off as she tries to hold back a sob. “I brought my gun, and I tried threatening you, hoping you would just leave.” Lena can’t bear to look Ava in the eyes, her shame at her actions eating away at her.

“Sara took the gun from you. She...” Ava whispers, suddenly recalling the previous day in details she would’ve preferred to forget. Ava can’t say the rest out loud as tears begin to flow down her cheeks. After taking a minute to process everything, Ava’s feelings switch from despair to hurt and anger. “You’re the two most important people in my life. How could you not know?”

That’s the question Lena’s been dreading ever since she heard Lori utter, ‘You chose wrong.’ “I should have. Ava, I’m so sorry,” Lena tries to explain, but Ava interjects.

“I think you should go,” she says softly, yet firmly as she averts her gaze away from Lena. 

Knowing she deserves that, Lena does as Ava asks. “I’ll be right outside, if you need anything,” she says as she closes the door behind her. Once outside, Lena lets Alex know that Ava is awake, and she heads in to check on her.

“You are a sight for sore eyes,” Alex says as she enters Ava’s room. She begins examining Ava, asking, “How are you feeling?”

Ava takes a deep breath before unloading, “Gee, everyone that I love just tried to kill me. How do you think I feel?” She doesn’t mean to sound so harsh to Alex, but it’s hard to hide her frustration and anger.

Alex shifts out of doctor mode for a second. “Ava, I can’t imagine what you must be going through. You have every right to feel hurt and upset, with all of us. But we love you, and none of us are giving up until we’ve found a way to make things right.”

Ava softens a bit. It’s been so long since she and Alex have had a conversation. “ _ You _ saved my life. As far as I’m concerned, we’re even,” she says with a small smile as Alex finishes changing out her bandages, returning the smile. 

“I’m not seeing any signs of infection,” Alex replies as she makes notes in Ava’s chart, back in doctor mode. “But I need to know how you’re physically feeling, so I can adjust your medication if needed.”

“The pain is manageable,” comes the soft reply from Ava. 

“Are you sure?” Alex double-checks. When Ava nods, she adds, “Will you tell me if that changes?”

Ava nods again, mentally preparing herself for the answer to the question she needs to ask. “Alex, I know what happened, at the church,” she begins tentatively, “but what happened...here?”

It takes a beat for Alex to catch Ava’s drift as she begins to explain her surgery, “The bullet on your right was lodged near your kidney. We got that one out without any damage to the surrounding organ tissue. The one on your left hit your spleen, causing a lot of bleeding, but we managed to get it under control. You lost a lot of blood, Ava. But we’ve been giving you transfusions, and so far, things are looking OK.” Alex grabs Ava’s hand as she gives her a small smile. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep?” Ava closes her eyes as Alex turns off the lights in her room.

Meanwhile, the Legends and Superfriends are discussing how Lori could’ve pulled off her plan.

“I got it!” Just then Winn comes over to the group, more excited than anyone on their team has been in months. He holds up Lori’s phone, explaining, “I was finally able to unlock her phone and decrypt her texts. There are messages on here going back nearly six months, all to the same number.”

“Can you trace it?” Kara asks, expectantly.

“Already have,” Winn says with a sigh, deflating slightly. “Unfortunately neither phone is a smart phone, nor do they have GPS capabilities so we can’t pinpoint a location.”

“So why do you still look optimistic?” Nate asks, confused.

Winn pulls up the text log and starts reading, “Get a load of this. ‘Phase 2 complete.’ That was sent the night of the gala bombing. ‘Infiltration achieved.’ That was sent the day of the Howard demo. ‘Lena brought her gun.” That was sent yesterday morning.”

“Are there any responses?” J’onn asks, hopeful they are close to putting all of the pieces together. 

“No, but this confirms our theories about Lori and her partner being responsible for the bombing, and that being part of their plan to get access to Lena’s lab at LCorp,” Winn explains. 

“What would she want with my research?” Lena asks in disbelief.

“We think the reason Lori was so convincing as Ava is because she had access to all of Ava’s memories,” Ray explains. 

“You think she tampered with Project Restore?” Lena asks. “That’s not possible. I only extracted one of Ava’s memories when we did the demo, and I wiped it from my server immediately.”

“What if she were able to re-open the connection and remotely re-route the memories onto a private server outside of LCorp’s network?” Winn suggests.

“In theory, that would be possible,” Lena says after taking a minute to digest Winn’s words, defeat evident in her tone. Her eyes start to water again as the realization finally sinks in that her research is responsible for allowing Lori’s deception. “Ava was right, about everything. She knew Lori was playing us from the minute she first came to visit us.” Lena feels flushed, she can’t bear to face the team knowing she’s even more responsible than she originally thought. Sara walks over to her, grabbing her hand and giving it a firm squeeze.

“How was seeing her?” Sara asks tentatively, not sure what answer she’s hoping for.

Lena shakes her head, letting out a sigh. “She’s awake, that’s all that matters. I’ve got to run to LCorp to bring Project Restore back here so we can take a closer look at it. We’ll catch up when I get back?”

Sara nods as Lena heads out with Kara. She makes her way down to the DEO training room and starts unleashing all of her feelings on the punching bag. Punch after punch, kick after kick, she channels her anger, her frustration, her confusion, her guilt, and most importantly her worry into each movement, hoping desperately for a release. That voice in her head, the one she spent months figuring out how to quiet after Laurel’s death, is back and louder than ever.  _ You weren’t strong enough to save your sister, and you betrayed the only woman you ever truly loved _ , it spat at her. Flashes of Laurel’s death suddenly invade Sara as she continues going at the punching bag.

_ In her days before working with the Legends, Sara and Laurel had been the vigilante duo of Black and White Canary, guarding Star City from all who would dare cause trouble. They had tracked their nemesis, Damien Darhk, to Iron Heights prison and had him alone. Sara thought they were finally going to put an end to his reign of terror, once and for all, but Darhk had other ideas. Using his powers, he managed to freeze Sara in place while he approached Laurel. Sara managed to override him, just for a second, but long enough to throw one of her daggers at his heart. Damien caught it right before it could find it’s target. Shoving the dagger into Laurel’s gut, Sara was forced to watch him twist the knife. The look of pain on Laurel’s face broke Sara’s heart, but she was powerless to do anything.  _

_ Satisfied by the look of anguish on Sara’s face, Damien released her and left the prison while Sara ran to Laurel’s side. Laurel died in Sara’s arms, forever haunting her by reminding Sara of her failure to repair their relationship and her failure to save her life. _

_ Not long after that Sara had formed the Legends as a way to help her cope and move on. And for the most part it did. Being part of a team again, saving her city, it filled her with a sense of purpose she’d been missing. But the voice in her head, that constant reminder of her failures, didn’t stop haunting her until she’d met Ava. Although at first they couldn’t stand each other, over time Sara had come to respect her intensity and brilliance on missions. Oh, and the fact that Ava was the most beautiful woman she’d ever laid eyes on didn’t hurt either.  _

“Mind if I join you?” Alex asks again, a bit louder after not getting a response from Sara the first time. Sara didn’t even hear her come in, too absorbed in her painful memories of Laurel to notice.

“Alex? What are you…?” Sara trails off, clearly confused and slightly annoyed at how she’s no longer alone. 

“We all failed her, Sara.” Alex’s tone is so different from when she was in doctor mode. The even, calm temper is gone, replaced by frustration and disappointment. She throws a quick punch at Sara, who easily blocks it. 

The pair trade punch and kick attempts for a while until Sara uncharacteristically loses her footing going for a sweep at Alex’s legs. The rage that’s been eating her up turns to guilt, the emotion Sara was trying so desperately to avoid by coming to the training room in the first place. Unable to control herself, a sob escapes Sara’s lips. “You didn’t pull that trigger, Alex,” she manages to get out as tears are flowing freely down Sara’s cheeks. Alex kneels next to Sara on the mat, wrapping her up in the biggest hug she can muster, although she feels her own tears beginning to form as well. The two of them stay like that for what feels like hours, just holding each other, trying to sort through all of their pain.


	21. Playing Defense

Kara and Lena return from LCorp with her Project Restore materials. She gets everything hooked up, and Winn, Zari, and Ray start examining it to see if there are any signs of tampering.

Meanwhile Sara has returned from her training session with Alex, and she and Lena begin discussing Lena’s earlier conversation with Ava. “At first she didn’t remember anything,” Lena starts quietly, her eyes getting misty. “But as I started explaining, it came back to her.” 

“I don’t know how to face her,” Sara says, holding her head in her hands. Lena wraps her arms around Sara in an effort to reassure both of them. 

“Tell her what we know about Lori tampering with my research. It’s not an excuse. We have to live with our choices. But maybe it can be the start of us all becoming a family again,” Lena says sadly.

“Lena, we think we found something,” Ray says as he approaches the pair. 

“Let’s go take a look,” she says as she and Sara follow Ray over to Winn and Zari.

“Sara, what was the date of the first time you thought you caught Lori impersonating Ava?” Zari asks as Sara and Lena join up with them.

“April 9th, the day before my dad’s birthday,” Sara says softly, hoping that wasn’t the first time she accused Ava of being Lori.

Zari nods. “There’s a device that was connected to the headset on April 8th. It was the first and only time it was used. It was at 12:30 in the morning.”

“What kind of device?” Lena asks, confused. “And who the hell would be in my lab that late?”

“I haven’t seen something like this before,” Winn starts, “we are still trying to track down the serial number. Based on what we do know, it looks like this was how Lori made it so that she could access more than just Ava’s one memory you used in your demo.”

“On the evening of the 8th I’m seeing a new pairing with a remote server,” Ray adds as he’s digging into the visualization software. 

Lena thinks she might be sick. “This technology was supposed to help people.”

“I have to tell her,” Sara says with a sigh before heading for Ava’s room.

“Wait!” Zari yells as Sara stops and heads back. “Whoever Lori’s working with doesn’t know that we’re on to them yet.”

“What are you thinking, Z?” Sara asks.

“Ray, can you see the stream of files that have been sent to the remote server?” she asks hopefully. “I’m thinking it’s about time we started playing a little defense.”

“Yea, the most recent one is from this morning,” he says, pulling up the file logs. 

The team crowds around the monitor to look at the dates and durations for each file as Zari asks, “So if her partner has seen the latest one, they know that Ava is still alive. Can we control which files get placed in this queue?”

Winn takes over from Ray and is able to create a queue assignment page. “OK, I’m redirecting the files to land here, on our server first, without them being able to tell that there’s no longer a direct connection. We can filter from here which files make their way to that remote server.”

“Great,” says Zari. “Don’t let any files where there’s a discussion of Lena’s research get into their queue.”

Feeling relieved at their gaining some semblance of control back, Sara again heads for Ava’s room to fill her in on their discovery. Sara has seen a lot in her life. She’s stared down the barrel of a gun countless times. She had to stand by and watch as Damien Darhk killed her sister. But nothing could prepare her for seeing Ava, looking so pale and helpless. Sara’s breath hitches as she stares at the woman she loves, knowing she’s the cause of Ava’s pain. “What have I done to you, Aves?” she asks softly as she approaches Ava’s bed. Sara takes a seat and immediately reaches for Ava’s hand, bringing it to her lips to give her a soft peck. “Come back to me, baby,” Sara begs, her voice cracking as a tear slides down her cheek.

Sara sits there in silence for several minutes, just staring at Ava. Knowing she’s spent so much time with Lori and has barely seen Ava in months, Sara is just happy to be near her. There’s a familiar smell of lavender that Sara is suddenly aware of. It’s faint, but unmistakable. Sara mentally berates herself for not noticing earlier that that smell, one that’s always been uniquely Ava, has been absent for the past few months. She puts Ava’s hand over her heart, soaking in the warmth of a touch she’s been longing for.

After a while Ava’s eyes flutter open. As her eyes adjust she sees a familiar form to her left. Normally next to Sara is where Ava feels the safest, but with her memories of Lena’s wedding so fresh, that’s no longer the case. “How long have you been sitting there?” Ava asks, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.

“Not long,” Sara replies, suddenly very aware of her grasp on Ava’s hand. Ava awkwardly slides her hand away, a silent cue to Sara that she no longer feels safe with her. “How are you feeling?” she asks, not knowing what else to say.

Ava lets out a sigh, clearly uncomfortable. “Sara, I’m tired. And I don’t want to see you right now.” She locks eyes with Sara, staring into that blue that she used to love so much. All she can remember now is the anger she saw reflected back at her, when she begged Sara to believe her. 

Sara stands up, taking a step towards the door, before turning back to face Ava. “I know that I hurt you, and I know that what I did is unforgivable,” she starts, “but Ava, I do love you. And I’m going to spend the rest of my days finding a way to make it up to you.”

Ava can’t bring herself to look at Sara. On the one hand she wants nothing more than to be with Sara after everything she’s been through over the past six months. But on the other, she doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to trust Sara again. “Sara, it’s not just that I begged you to believe me and you didn’t,” Ava starts, needing Sara to understand just how much she’s hurting, “or that I’m lying in this bed because of you. It’s the fact that you spent every day for months with a stranger and didn’t realize she wasn’t me.”

“It’s not an excuse, and it doesn't change the choices I made,” Sara begins to explain their recent discovery, “but we know how Lori was able to be so convincing, how she knew so much about all of us.”

“How?” Ava asks dismissively, still not making eye contact with Sara.

“She tampered with Lena’s research project. Lori and whoever she’s working with have had access to all of your memories, going back well before you came to National City.”

“That’s what Ray thought too, but that’s not possible,” Ava asserts. “Lena had my demo file wiped.”

Sara slowly makes her way closer to Ava. “Lori found a way to transfer everything to a remote server. Lena had no idea until just now when we were examining her tech.”

“Are you telling me Lori has all of my memories?” Ava asks in disbelief, finally adjusting her gaze to look at Sara, her eyes starting to fill with tears.

“Ava,” Sara starts, noticing that she’s getting worked up, but Ava replies before she can continue.

“This was her plan all along. This is why I didn’t want you here, Sara! I knew she would--” Ava says through tears as her monitors begin to register a spike in her vitals. Ava lets out a whimper, and closes her eyes as a wave of pain overtakes her. 

“Ava?” Sara asks, fear evident in her voice. Ava lets out another whimper as Sara hits her call button. 

Alex, along with a few members of her team, comes rushing in to assess what’s happening. A helpless Sara can only watch as Ava’s eyes drift close, while the beeping of the machines becomes more erratic. “Alex, what’s happening?” Sara asks, terrified.

“She’s hemorrhaging. We need to get her into surgery now!” she instructs her team as they wheel Ava out of her room. 

A shaken Sara heads back out to find Lena, Kara, Nate, and Zari looking expectantly at her. “What happened?” Lena asks, her lower lip trembling.

“I-I don’t know,” Sara’s still processing everything herself. “We were just talking. And then...she was in so much pain. I don’t know,” Lena wraps her arms around Sara as Kara, Nate, and Zari join them and embrace Lena and Sara.

“Alex will fix her,” Kara adds, reassuringly.

Hours later Alex emerges from the operating room. She is met by the entire team and knows Ava would be touched by everyone’s concern. “Her spleen ruptured, causing her to hemorrhage. We had to remove it in order to control the bleeding.”

“Is she stable?” Sara asks, the guilt she’s been feeling over the past couple of days only amplifying.

Alex sighs, silently berating herself for letting her emotions show at the moment. “She made it through surgery, which is a good sign. We’ll have a better idea of her condition once she wakes up.”

“Can I sit with her?” Zari asks, feeling the weight of Ava’s condition due to the part she played in putting her in harm’s way. 

“Once she’s set up in her room, I’ll come get you, Zari,” Alex says as she heads over to Sara. “Sara, this is not your fault,” she tells her firmly when she’s standing in front of her. “We knew this was a risk coming out of her first surgery. It could’ve happened at any time.”

“All of this is my fault!” Sara shouts as she leaves the team, heading off to find Lori.


	22. Second Chances

“Wake the fuck up, asshole!” Sara yells as she approaches Lori’s cell in the DEO basement. Sara’s guilt over hurting Ava still consumes her thoughts, but learning how Lori was able to manipulate all of them has ignited her fire. She needs to know why Lori has been so driven towards destroying Ava and how someone could do that to their own sister. Sara wants nothing more than to tear Lori apart and inflict as much physical pain on her as possible, but she knows that her partner is still out there. The time will come when she’ll be able to take all of her frustrations out on Lori, but Sara has to keep reminding herself now is not yet that time.

Sara’s yelling awakes Lori who had been sleeping against the glass wall of her cell. She slowly stands up and turns around to face Sara. Lori narrows her eyes as she takes in Sara’s appearance. She’s still in the scrubs Winn gave her, and her hair rests in messy curls around her shoulders. Lori can tell from the dark circles under her eyes that she hasn’t slept much. The redness and puffiness around her eyes convey just how much crying Sara has done over the past couple of days. “Is she dead yet?” Lori asks, her tone flat, like she’s asking about the weather, knowing it’ll only further fuel Sara’s rage.

“I hate to break it to you, but she’s very much alive,” Sara tries to sound convincing, knowing Ava’s current condition is tenuous. Sara has to fight to push down her intense urge to go into Lori’s cell and start beating the shit out of her. Counting to five, she stares down Lori. “Shouldn’t be long before she’s in here, kicking your ass, _again_ ,” Sara emphasizes the last part, wishing she had been there in person to witness Ava decking Lori.

Lori smiles, knowing Sara wouldn’t be there with her if that were true. “So, what happens next? You and Ava ride off into the sunset, while I rot in here?” Lori mocks, tilting her head slightly to the side. “Even if she does recover, you really think she’ll ever trust you again? Don’t get me wrong, you’re a good lay Sara, but I’m honestly relieved to not have to pretend anymore.”

The corners of Sara’s mouth fold up in a slight smirk as she takes a step towards Lori. “We know how you used Lena’s research to manipulate all of us. Your game is over, and you lost,” she spits out.

Lori laughs, and the sound makes Sara’s stomach turn. “You really want to talk about winning and losing, Sara? OK, I’ll give you and your little team of idiots credit for figuring out how I used Project Restore. You’re only about four months late, but you know, better late than never, right? And sure, I may be stuck in this cell now,” Lori stretches her arms to gesture to her current prison, “but the look on Ava’s face when you shot her, the sight of her struggling to breathe when you were convinced you’d finally rid yourselves of me. Not to mention how she must have felt every night she spent in Star City, knowing what you and I were doing. That was worth a few setbacks.”

Sara’s eyes go misty at the memories Lori conjures. “You sick freak,” she says softly, trying not to show how much Lori’s words have affected her. “You may not have lit the match,” Sara starts, her lower lip trembling as she’s trying to hold back tears, knowing everything Lori said is true, “but you gathered the wood and fanned the flames. All your talk of how worried you were, pushing Lena and me to our breaking points.”

Lori knows she’s getting to Sara. “You know, if you would have just listened to Ava when she told you not to come here, you could’ve avoided all of this.”

That thought’s been running through Sara’s mind a lot lately. She thinks back to all of the times Ava tried to get her to leave National City, knowing they would inevitably end up in this exact place if Sara stayed. She silently curses as she’s disappointed she’s let Lori get to her. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she asks, “What happened that made you so hellbent on hurting Ava?”

Lori sobers, and it’s the first time Sara’s seen her look so serious. “Your perfect Ava took away my only chance at happiness,” Lori explains, a twinge of sadness in her tone. Sara narrows her eyes at Lori, never having discussed this with Ava. “My fiance saw her...with someone else, thinking she was me. He broke off our engagement, and before I could explain to him what happened, he died,” she turns away from Sara, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Sara doesn’t know what to say. She wasn’t expecting such a raw moment from Lori. “That wasn’t Ava’s fault. Don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

Whatever humanity Sara thought she saw in Lori is suddenly gone as she turns back around to face her. “Enough?” Lori lets out a dry laugh. She approaches the glass so she’s only a few feet from Sara. “If you didn’t need me alive to find my partner, what would you be doing to me right now?” Sara narrows her eyes as fantasies of beating Lori to a pulp return to her mind. “There is no _enough_ , only distractions.” With that, Lori turns around and takes a seat so that her back is to Sara, clearly tired of their conversation.

A stunned Sara turns around and heads back up to find her team and see if there’s any update on Ava.

**Meanwhile upstairs...**

Ava’s eyes slowly open, and as she looks to her left she sees a welcome form. “Zari,” she says softly, her lips forming a small smile. 

“Hey, you’re awake,” Zari responds, relieved that Ava has finally woken up. She’s been with her since right after Alex finished her surgery late the previous day. It was well into the next afternoon, and she was starting to worry. Alex had come in to do a blood transfusion and to check on Ava a few hours prior. “I’m so sorry we ever got you near that church.”

Ava shakes her head, hating that Zari feels responsible. “You only did what I asked. Thank you for believing me.” her voice is soft and breathy. Ava feels so tired, and there’s a heaviness that’s come over her, like she’s being held down. The last thing she remembered, she was talking to Sara. “Sara was in here before. What happened?”

Zari reaches for Ava’s hand, offering her a gentle squeeze of support. “Alex had to operate on you again. Your spleen ruptured.” Zari feels herself getting choked up. She can’t believe that this time the prior week, Ava and the rest of the Legends were playing beach volleyball back in Star City, enjoying a beautiful summer night. “Speaking of, I should let her know that you’re awake.” 

As Zari begins to stand up, Ava holds on to her hand tighter. “Wait,” she pleads quietly. “Sara said you found evidence of Lori tampering with Lena’s research.” Ava doesn’t know what response she’s hoping for, but she trusts Zari more than anyone right now.

Zari sits back down and begins explaining the situation to Ava. “Lori and whoever she’s working with, have been able to access all of your memories, going back several years from the looks of it. Ava, I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, and I know you’re in a lot of pain right now, but I want you to ask yourself, if someone who looked exactly like Sara and knew everything about you that she does suddenly showed up, how easy do you think it would be to tell them apart?”

Ava takes a deep breath, letting Zari’s words sink in. “Can you send Lena in? I’d like to talk to her.”

“Of course,” Zari smiles as she gets up from her seat and heads for the door. “If there’s anything you need, I’ll be outside.” As Zari leaves Ava’s room she spots Alex and lets her know that Ava’s awake. Alex goes in to check on Ava.

Zari goes to find Lena who’s talking to Kara. “Lena, Ava’s awake. Alex is in with her now, but she asked for you.”

“She did?” Lena’s surprised Ava wants anything to do with her after their last conversation ended. Zari nods and they head over closer to Ava’s room, awaiting word from Alex on her condition. Several minutes later Alex emerges with Kara, Lena, and Zari all looking expectantly at her. 

“The transfusions aren’t helping her blood pressure to stabilize. Her blood isn't clotting,” Alex says, frustrated that Ava has developed a complication. 

“What does that mean?” Kara asks, not sure how concerned she should be.

Alex lets out a deep sigh. “I need to order more tests. For now, we’ll stick to the transfusion protocol. At some point it should bring up her pressure and stabilize her.”

Lena heads in to see Ava, who looks, if possible, even paler than the last time she saw her. Not wanting to alarm Ava with Alex’s update, and unclear about what Ava even wants to discuss, Lena tries to hide her concern over her sister’s condition. “Hey,” she says tentatively as she takes a seat next to Ava. “Zari said you wanted to talk.”

“Sara told me about Lori tampering with your research,” Ava says quietly. She’s starting to feel drained even though she’s only been awake for a short time. “I know how much time you put into it and what we were hoping to accomplish with it.”

“Oh,” Lena says a little dejectedly. She was hoping the news might have helped Ava understand and help them start repairing their relationship. She’s been too focused on Ava to even consider anything related to LCorp or CatCo business-wise. Her second in command at LCorp, Sam, has thankfully been managing to do just enough to keep both companies afloat in Lena’s absence. “Ava, that doesn’t matter right now. All I’m concerned about is your recovery.”

Ava gives her a small smile. “I shouldn’t have pushed you away earlier,” Ava offers, stretching out her hand to Lena. Lena gladly accepts and intertwines their fingers. “I’m still processing everything.”

“You have every right to hate me,” Lena says. 

“Honestly the toughest part about all of this is knowing that I missed your wedding planning, and that I wasn’t the one with you, helping you get ready to marry Kara,” Ava says as her eyes start to tear.

“I feel sick knowing it was Lori instead of you,” Lena admits. “Although, knowing it was you who sucker-punched her that day in my office makes me feel a tiny bit better about it,” Lena says with a small laugh, trying to lighten the mood. 

“That felt really good,” Ava says through a smile. “Will you tell me about the proposal?”

Lena laughs remembering who got her brownie. “Well, we were at game night, and Kara made brownies for dessert. Apparently she slid the ring into one of the end pieces she tried to position in front of me, but Winn got to it first. He nearly choked on the damn ring.” Ava laughs picturing the scene, and it’s the best sound Lena has heard in days. “She cleaned off the ring and asked me to be her wife.” Lena extends her left hand so Ava can fully admire it. 

“It’s perfect,” Ava says softly, running her thumb over the ring. 

“Ava, I’m so sorry for everything that’s happened. I thought I was protecting you. I never meant for you to get hurt.” Lena says as she begins to tear up again. “You were right about everything. Your warnings about Lori and her ulterior motives. I was so stupid,” she says, shaking her head.

“Yea, you were,” Ava says sadly. “But you wanted to believe that people deserve second chances.” Ava’s eyes start to feel heavy. Lena sees her starting to drift off and stands to leave, but Ava maintains her grip. “Will you stay?” she whispers as she falls asleep. 

“As long as you want,” Lena replies, but Ava is already fast asleep. Lena stays with Ava until Alex comes in to check on her a few hours later. She checks Ava’s blood pressure, making notes in her chart. Lena can tell by the look on Alex’s face, it’s not good news. She looks at Alex who gestures towards the door. Lena reluctantly lets go of Ava’s hand as the pair make their way outside.

Kara and Zari meet up with them along with Sara, who’s just joining the group again. “She’s getting worse, isn’t she?” Lena asks, terrified of the answer from Alex. 

“What’s going on? I thought her surgery went smoothly?” Sara asks, concerned.

“She’s developed a complication,” Alex starts to explain. The vein in Sara’s forehead pops as she prepares for what Alex is about to say. “Her blood isn't clotting properly, and her pressure keeps dropping.”

Sara crosses her arms. “Well, what can you do to fix it?”

Alex sighs, reviewing Ava’s chart again. “The blood and plasma transfusions aren’t helping.”

“Is she going to die?” Sara asks, in total disbelief that this is happening. That’s been the question on Lena, Kara, and Zari’s minds. They’ve all just been too afraid to ask. 

Alex has been dreading the question. She’s been trying to figure out some way to help Ava, but nothing is working. She takes a deep breath before looking Sara in the eyes, knowing she owes her that much. “If we can’t fix this soon, yes.”

“How long?” Sara asks, holding back tears as she feels Zari’s hand on her shoulder.

“It’s hard to say. Not long,” Alex gets out.

“Will she be in much pain?” Sara asks.

“No. She’ll just get weaker until she...just goes to sleep,” Alex manages before a tear escapes.

“I have to tell her,” Sara says, as she tries to collect herself before going to see Ava. Lena grabs on to Kara like her life depends on it and cries into her shoulder. Kara does her best to soothe Lena, but she’s also struggling with the news.

Sara takes a deep breath and opens the door to Ava’s room, gently closing it behind her so as not to wake Ava. She sits next to her, grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers. Sara tucks a stray lock of Ava’s hair out of her face, noticing for the first time Ava’s slightly labored breathing. In a familiar move, Sara puts Ava’s open palm over her heart, placing her own hand over top, soaking in the warmth of the woman she loves.

With some effort, Ava’s eyes flutter open as she feels the warmth of Sara beneath her palm. She looks at Sara, not completely sure she wants her to stop, but Sara does. She’s so unsure how to act around Ava. “You look tired,” Ava’s voice is light and breathy.

“Thanks, jerk,” Sara lets out a small laugh. Her joking tone isn’t intentional, just how she normally would have replied to Ava saying something like that. She thinks she can see a small smirk on Ava’s face. Turning serious she takes a deep breath to explain, “Ava, there was a complication after your last surgery.” Ava just stares back, waiting for Sara to continue. “Your blood isn’t clotting. Alex is trying to combat it with transfusions, but as of right now, they’re not working.” Sara covers her face with her hands, trying not to let Ava see her cry.

_That explains why I feel so weak_ , Ava thinks to herself. She reaches her hand out to cup Sara’s cheek, who’s startled by the action. “You seem worried,” Ava says softly. “When did a Legend ever go quietly?” Ava tries to hide how scared she is behind some humor. She doesn’t want to assume the worst, but she knows Sara wouldn’t have told her unless she thought it was pretty bad.

Sara presses Ava’s hand against her cheek, grateful to be able to feel her again. She’s all too aware of Ava’s stubbornness. “Ava, you were right from the beginning. I never should have come here,” Sara’s voice breaks as she reflects on all of the mistakes she’s made over the past six months and how they’ve led her here. She sniffles before continuing, “If I could find some way to change what happened, I would do it in a heartbeat. I know this probably doesn’t mean much now, but if it’s what you want, I’ll leave, go back to Star City, so you don’t have to...deal with me on top of everything else.” 

Ava takes a minute to process everything Sara’s just told her. She’s dying and Sara wants to leave her to go through it alone. “You’re not getting off the hook that easily, Lance,” comes Ava’s soft reply. If this really is the end for her, Ava doesn’t want to spend it angry at Sara. She wants to spend it in her arms. “Will you...hold me?” her voice is so soft, nearly a whisper.

Sara isn’t sure if she heard Ava right. She looks her in the eyes, getting lost in that ocean for a minute. Seeing how scared Ava looks, Sara maneuvers in between all of the wires and tubes she’s hooked up to, to get into the bed next to Ava. Sliding an arm around her shoulder, Sara pulls Ava against her chest, both feeling more at home than they have in months.


	23. Promises Made

“Lena,” Kara calls as she races to catch up to her. The next morning Lena heads down to the basement to talk to Lori. She’s been focused on Ava and on the team figuring out Lori’s deception, but now that it looks like Ava may not make it, Lena needs to get a few things off her chest. 

“Don’t try to talk me out of this,” Lena huffs out as Kara reaches her. 

Kara puts her hands on Lena’s waist. “Babe, this is the first time you’ve seen her, knowing who she really is in months. Just, be careful, OK?” Kara knows how composed and careful Lena can be, but she’s afraid that Lori will take advantage of her guilt and hurt Lena even more. 

Lena gives Kara a small smile, touched at her concern. She reaches up to put her hands behind Kara’s neck. “I can’t just sit around, hoping she’ll get better. If I can get something out of Lori about her partner, if I can find some way to be productive, I have to try.” She leans in to give Kara a kiss before heading to Lori’s cell. Kara heads back to sit with the rest of the team to give Lena some privacy.

Lena approaches Lori’s cell, determined to stay composed and not let Lori rattle her, and pounds on the glass to get her attention. Lori stands, having been awoken by Lena, and turns around to face her sister. “Oh, it’s just you,” she says dryly.

“Just me?” Lena is taken aback by Lori’s comment, not understanding her sister’s meaning. 

Lori narrows her eyes at Lena. After spending several days in her cell, sleeping on the floor, and not being offered much in the way of food, Lori isn’t exactly operating at peak condition for another interrogation. She’s without her phone and without a way to contact Damien. If she’s being completely honest with herself, she’s not entirely sure she trusts Damien to even break her out at this point. His motivations have been driven by wanting to see Sara suffer, and, assuming he’s watched Ava’s latest memories at this point, he’s achieved that. 

Lori hasn’t achieved her ends though. As long as Ava is still breathing and Lena isn’t completely broken, she still has more work to do. Deciding to have a little bit of fun by antagonizing Lena, she answers, “If Ava were dead, there’d be no reason for you to keep me alive. Who gets the first crack at me? Sara, or Supergirl?”

Lena shoves down her guilt at the memory of how weak Ava looked when they last spoke and responds with a forced coolness. “We know all about how you used my research, Lori, You’re going to answer to all of us. How _much_ you have to answer for depends on how much you can tell us about your partner.”

A smirk forms across Lori’s face. “You have no idea who my partner is, do you?” She asks with a soft laugh.

“You know, you don’t seem to be in much of a hurry to get out of here,” Lena responds. “Is that because whoever you’re working with hasn’t bothered to try to break you out yet?” Sensing she’s hit a nerve, Lena continues to press, “Do they even care that we have you trapped in here?”

“He’s just waiting for the right moment,” Lori says, her voice quiet, hoping she sounds more convincing than she feels. Lena’s eyebrow arches at Lori’s usage of ‘he.’ Shifting back on the offensive, Lori says, “Kind of like how I waited for the right moment of your wedding to enact my plan for Ava.”

“You fucking bitch!” Lena screams as she pounds on the glass wall of Lori’s cell. “You lied to us for months! You turned us against Ava!” 

“She took away the person I loved most!” There’s not an ounce of hurt in Lori’s tone. It’s cruel and detached. “How would you feel if someone took Kara from you? How far would you go to make them pay?”

“Don’t you dare mention Kara!” There’s a fire in Lena’s eyes that Lori hasn’t seen since Lena was threatening to shoot Ava. “You manipulated me, you manipulated all of us! And you will pay for that!”

“You’re the one who brought the gun to the church,” Lori throws back at Lena. “You’re the one who made me sit through endless cake tastings and dress fittings and couldn’t tell I wasn’t your perfect older sister, Ava. You’re the one who threatened her, and you’re the one who was ready to pull the trigger if Sara faltered. So don’t come in here and blame me for your failures.”

Lori’s words reignite Lena’s guilt over her actions. She takes a breath to calm her racing heart, before continuing, “When I found out it was you who killed our parents and left Ava there to die, I thought you were a monster who deserved to rot in prison for the rest of her life. But after this. This is a whole new level, even for you. We are going to find your partner, and we are going to kill you.” And with that, Lena turns around, having gotten as much as she could out of Lori.

“How does it feel to be the monster this time?” Lori shouts as Lena walks away, never breaking stride.

As Lena heads back upstairs and approaches the team, Kara puts her arms around her, holding her close. “Are you OK? She whispers.

“No,” Lena says through a sniffle before unwrapping herself from Kara and turning to face everyone else. 

“Lena,” Zari pauses to clear her throat before continuing, “when you spoke to her, did she say anything, even remotely vague, about who she could be working with?” Zari asks as the two of them, along with Nate, Mick, Ray, J’onn, and Winn are discussing progress with determining who Lori’s partner is.

“Other than letting slip her partner is a man, nothing. She knows the only reason we haven’t unleashed some combination of J’onn, Supergirl, and Sara on her is because we need this from her,” she says with a frustrated sigh. “All she ever does manage to say is something snarky about how we couldn’t save Ava from Sara.” Lena rubs her hand over her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“All right, so what do we know about whoever this is?” Winn asks, trying to take a different approach and keeping the team from getting frustrated.

“He was able to get Lori out of prison,” Ray offers, “so he either has legal connections or extra-legal connections.”

“He was able to plant a bomb under the noses of some of the best security people in this city,” J’onn offers.

“And he clearly has a gift for technology, what with making sure I found that article about Lena and Kara’s wedding announcement, not to mention tampering with Project Restore,” Zari adds.

“And he clearly hates Sara,” Nate says sadly. Zari walks over to him to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

“What makes you say that?” she asks, slightly confused. 

Nate shakes his head, trying to keep his tears at bay. “She was finally happy, Z. After everything she’s been through, I mean remember that day she tried to hide from us that she was going to propose to Ava? I’ve known her a long time, and she’s never been that happy,” he says with a sniffle. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say this had Damien Darhk written all over it.”

“Who’s that?” Winn asks, never having heard his name before. 

“He killed Sara’s sister,” Ray explains solemnly. “He blamed Sara for the death of his daughter, Nora.”

“Yea, I mean he definitely sounds like our guy. Why can’t it be him?” Winn asks as he begins to do some research on Darhk. “Ah, I see,” he says, dejectedly as he pulls up several reports of Damien’s death at the hands of Sara and Ava. “Well, anyone else have any suspects?”

Just then Alex comes out of Ava’s room and approaches the team. She’s been trying to hold it together for Sara and Lena’s sakes, but she’s just as worried about Ava as they are. She feels like if she were a better surgeon this might not have happened to Ava, but Alex pushes those thoughts aside, optimistic the Legends, Winn, and J’onn might have some good news in terms of Lori’s partner.

“How is she?” Zari asks softly, her lower lip trembling. 

Alex can feel the tears starting to form as she shakes her head, unable to verbalize her failure. Zari reaches for Nate, burying her face in his shoulder. 

“Well, there’s still time right?” Ray asks, trying to be optimistic about the situation. “I mean, Ava’s so strong, and she can beat this, right Alex?” His voice falters as Ray is clearly trying to convince himself he believes what he’s saying.

Alex takes a deep breath, not entirely prepared for the words she has to deliver. “Technically, yes, there’s still time, but her body was already so weak following her second surgery. I don’t know how much longer she has,” Alex whispers.

“Ava was how she got over Laurel’s death. And her dad’s death,” Ray says quietly. “How do we help her get through this?” 

After taking a minute to collect herself, Alex helps redirect the team’s focus, “By making Lori and her partner answer for what they’ve done.”

When no one speaks up, Mick asks, between sips of his beer, “Why don’t we just get him to come to us?”

“Mick, you’re a genius!” Zari exclaims, as she wipes her eyes and joins Winn at his computer. 

“I’ve only been telling you that for years,” Mick says smugly.

“What are you thinking, Zari?” Winn asks as she approaches him. 

“It’s been three days. He knows we have his partner, he knows Ava is still alive, and he knows their plan failed. Text him back, Winn,” Zari implores.

“We’re only going to get one shot at this. What do you want me to say?”

“If you want to see Lori alive again, come to the DEO to negotiate her release,” Zari offers, her voice more detached and cold than any of the Legends can remember hearing. 

“And...when he shows up?” Winn asks, almost afraid of the answer.

“We kill them both,” Lena says flatly.

Slightly terrified, Winn looks at Zari for confirmation that he should proceed with their plan. When she nods, he sends over the text.

Just then Kara enters, having just wrapped up a bank robbery. _When will these criminals learn?_ She thinks to herself. Although if she’s being honest, after the past few days, it felt good to be able to actually help people. Sensing Lena’s distress, Kara pulls her into Alex’s office so they can talk. When Lena instinctively turns towards Ava’s room, Kara says softly “Hey, look at me,” as she reaches for her waist to pull Lena close. “Any news from Sara?” she asks tentatively.

Lena can’t stifle a sob as she thinks back to the look on Alex’s face. “She’s running out of time, Kara.”

Kara puts a hand to Lena’s cheek. “Alex will find a way to save her.” Kara’s unsure if she’s trying to convince Lena or herself that what she’s saying is true. “She’s going to get better, and she’s going to give you away at our wedding.”

Lena can’t help but let a small laugh escape her lips. “You mean you still want to marry me after what happened the first time? After what I did?”

“Of course I do! Lena, how could you even ask that?” Kara is confused why Lena would think she wouldn’t want to marry her.

“This is happening because of me. Without my research, Lori never would’ve been able to pull any of this off. How can you even be in the same room with me?” Lena cries into Kara’s shoulder as she wraps her up in a warm embrace.

“We all made mistakes. We all missed something,” Kara tries to reassure Lena. She hates seeing Lena in so much pain. Kara reaches a hand under Lena’s chin to tilt it up so that they are locking eyes. “Ava is going to get better. And when she does, I promise you and I are going to have the most amazing wedding ever. You know, for like a month, until she and Sara get married and upstage us,” she adds, trying to get Lena to smile. Her efforts are rewarded with a gentle slap and a smirk from Lena. 

**Meanwhile back in Ava’s room…**

“She’s getting weaker, Alex,” Sara says sadly as Alex comes in to start another transfusion for Ava. Sara resumed her post beside Ava’s bed earlier that morning after holding her through the night. It felt so good to have Ava back in her arms after so many months apart, but Sara knew they were running out of time. Ava’s breathing had become shallow, and she barely had the strength to keep her eyes open. Sara currently had Ava’s palm resting against her heart, hoping the familiar embrace would remind Ava to fight for their future.

Alex can’t bear to look at Ava and Sara. She feels like she let them both down, but there isn’t anything more she can do to help Ava. The transfusions should be working. She just hopes Ava can hang on a little bit longer. She gives Sara’s shoulder a soft squeeze before leaving the pair alone.

“You’re the strongest person I know,” Sara says sadly as she continues to tenderly rub Ava’s hand that’s resting against her heart. “I need you to fight this, baby.” Sara doesn’t know how much longer they have left, but she needs to see Ava so that she can tell her how much she loves her.

Suddenly, Ava’s mumbling in her sleep draws Sara’s attention. “No, Sara don’t...don’t leave me…” she hears a soft whimper from Ava before she opens her eyes. 

“Sara,” Ava whispers, her lower lip trembling, “you’re OK.” Ava grabs Sara’s hand to place over her heart, placing her own hand over top.

“It’s OK,” Sara does her best to reassure her. “You were dreaming. I’m fine.”

A single tear slowly rolls down Ava’s cheek as she tries to push her thoughts of the nightmare aside. She’s had the same one every night since the day in Lena’s office after the gala bombing. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Sara offers, her eyes never leaving Ava’s.

“I’ve had the same dream every night for months,” Ava starts to describe her nightmare to Sara. “There’s certain variations,” she pauses to catch her breath, “but it always ends the same way.” Ava stares into Sara’s eyes, needing her strength to say the next part. “Lori shoots you, and you die in my arms.”

Sara slides closer to Ava and leans in to plant a kiss on her forehead. “She can’t hurt either of us anymore.” Feeling slightly more at peace with their current situation, Ava closes her eyes, relieved that Sara is safe. Every time Ava closes her eyes, Sara is terrified it could be the last time she sees Ava, so she makes sure she’s not drifting off to sleep. “Stay with me, baby,” Sara says softly.

Ava opens her eyes, though it’s clear even that act takes some effort. Ava’s conversation with Sara from the church is suddenly fresh in her mind, and she’s reminded of something important. “Where’s my ring box?” she asks, afraid that she left it at the church or that Lori somehow got a hold of it.

A small smile forms across Sara’s face as she produces it from her pocket. “Did you mean it?” Sara asks tentatively, desperate to know if what Ava said at the church about proposing in Star City was true. “Were you really planning to propose the night that Lena called?” She hands over the box to Ava who holds it tightly, feeling like she’s gotten back a piece of herself that was missing.

Ava takes a minute to look at Sara, getting lost in the deep blue of her eyes. She always felt like they grounded her, that even if the world was burning around them, if she could look into Sara’s eyes, she’d know how much they loved each other and that everything would be OK. For the first time since they were on the dancefloor back in Star City, that feeling is back. “Every word,” she whispers. Ava let’s a soft laugh escape her lips. “I should’ve just ignored that phone call and asked you anyway.”

Sara can’t help but smile. “They didn’t tell you, did they?” When Sara is met with Ava’s confused expression, she explains, “That whole time you were with them in Star City over the past few months, the Legends never let it slip,” Sara shakes her head, as she slides her own ring box out of her pocket. An astonished Ava takes a look at the one in her hand then at the one in Sara’s hand, then locks eyes again with Sara. “I was about to reach for it when I saw your face after you spoke to Lena. I knew everything was about to change,” Sara says, a small sob escaping her lips. 

Ava gently shakes her head as she tightens her grip around Sara’s hand. “I don’t know, if the roles were reversed,” Ava pauses to catch her breath, as she starts to feel even more tired, “if your twin showed up and knew everything about our lives. I’d like to think I would just know, but--”  
  


“I should have known, Ava,” Sara’s voice is full of shame and guilt. “I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you, and everytime I think about what I did, how much I hurt you…” Sara looks down, unable to to look Ava in the eyes as her betrayal flashes through her mind. She lets out a sniffle, trying to regain some composure. “I will find a way to make this right.”

Ava starts to feel a familiar heaviness overtake her, and she knows she’s running out of time. She’s so tired, but she doesn’t want to say goodbye to Sara or any of the people she loves. Ava hopes that Sara and Lena can find support in each other, and needs to know Sara will be there for Lena when she can’t. “Will you promise me something?” Ava’s voice is so soft, Sara has to lean in to hear her. 

Sara can’t stifle a sob. How could she possibly refuse Ava? “Anything,” she says with a sigh. 

“Will you give Lena away?” Tears are streaming down Ava’s cheeks as she laments not being there for her sister on the most important day of her life, again. 

Sara’s breath hitches. She can’t imagine spending one day without Ava let alone a lifetime. But she knows the least she can do for Ava is make sure Lena is safe and happy. Nodding as she begins to break down in tears, she whispers, “I promise.” 

All Sara can do is watch helplessly as Ava’s eyes drift close, and she wonders if she’s said goodbye to the woman she loves for the last time.


	24. Don't Go to Your Corner

_ If you want to see Lori alive again, come to the DEO to negotiate her release _ . Damien isn’t entirely surprised by the text. It’s been four days since the wedding, and he’s had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that something is wrong. “How could you be so stupid, my love?” he muses as he tries to think through options.

_ How do I know she’s still alive? _ Against his better judgment, Damien shoots over a reply. Damien knows their plans never included him responding to Lori’s texts, but they also never included her getting captured either. He thinks he can get more information about where she is and when he might be able to break her out. 

As he waits for a response, Damien begins the next memory of Ava’s, which shows Sara and Ava talking about their almost proposals. “Ugh, I think I’m going to be sick,” he mutters as his phone starts buzzing.  _ Guess you’re just going to have to trust us.  _ As Ava’s last memory comes to an end, Damien is dismayed by how much Ava and Sara still care for each other after everything he and Lori put them through. “Until Sara Lance is completely broken, we still have more work to do.” He pauses to pull up schematics of the DEO. “We tried it your way, my love, now, it’s my turn.”

**Meanwhile back at the DEO…**

Sara wakes up the next morning, her hand intertwined with Ava’s, terrified of the state she’s going to see Ava in. But she soon feels a soft pressure on her hand and sees Ava’s eyes flutter open. The first thing Sara notices is the improvement in Ava’s breathing. The second thing she notices is her color has returned. No longer does Ava nearly blend into the white sheets; as she smiles at Sara, she can see the familiar glow return to her face. “Told you, I’m too stubborn,” Ava says softly as she stares into Sara’s deep blue eyes. 

“I’ll never doubt that again,” Sara says with a smile as she tucks a stray lock of Ava’s hair behind her ear. She reaches over to press Ava’s call button to get Alex to check her out. 

Alex opens the door, not sure what to expect. Her face changes from stoic to giddy when she sees Ava awake. She immediately goes to check on her blood pressure. 

“Well?” Sara asks, anxious for validation that Ava’s going to be OK. 

“Pressure is way up and holding,” Alex does her best to stay in doctor mode and not let it show just how relieved and excited she feels. After taking a few minutes to further examine Ava, Alex is having trouble hiding just how happy she is that her friend is doing so much better. “We’ll definitely need to continue to monitor you, and keep an eye on your recovery, but Ava, these are all great signs today. I think you’ve officially turned a corner.” Alex leans down to rub Ava’s shoulder, as she leaves the pair alone to enjoy the good news. 

As soon as Alex is gone, Sara’s expression turns serious again. She couldn’t be more thrilled that Ava is going to be OK, but she also knows they have so much work to do to repair their relationship. “Hey, don’t go to your corner,” Ava says as she tightens her grip on Sara’s hand.

Sara lets out a deep sigh, letting go of Ava’s hand to stand up. She makes it a few steps towards the door, before turning back to face Ava and running a nervous hand through her hair. “I know the only reason we’re even talking right now is because you thought you were going to die. So, let me just save you from having to be around me anymore by leaving,” she says, wiping a stray tear as she reaches the door.

“Sara, wait,” although still soft, Ava’s voice is firm and determined. Unable to refuse Ava, Sara gulps, but remains facing the door. “Please, come sit down and talk to me.” Sara slowly turns around, unable to look Ava in the eyes as she makes her way back to Ava’s side. Ava once again grabs Sara’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “Yes, I didn’t want to die angry with you, Sara. And what you did still hurts.” Ava puts her hand under Sara’s chin to tilt her head up so their eyes lock. “But Sara, I meant what I said in that church. I’m never going to stop fighting for our future.”

Sara lets out a small smile. All she’s hoped for over the past few days was for Ava to recover. She would’ve traded Ava hating her for the rest of their lives if it meant she would be OK. She never considered that she still might have a future with Ava. “How can you say that? After everything I’ve done? How can you even think we have a future?”

Ava shakes her head before taking a deep breath. “Maybe if I hadn’t lied to you about my past, maybe if I had been honest with you from the beginning none of this would’ve happened.”

“Don’t do that, Ava, this is Lori’s fault,” Sara says, bringing her hand to Ava’s cheek as they get lost in each other’s eyes for a moment. 

A sudden knock at the door interrupts the pair as they both turn towards the door. Ava’s eyes grow big with excitement as she sees the Legends enter. They had all become so close when Ava was living with them in Star City. Zari rushes over to the side of Ava not currently occupied by Sara and gently wraps her in a hug.

“Glad to see you’re feeling better, Mrs. Cap,” Nate says as they all crowd around Ava’s bed. It’s the first time he’s seen Ava since she lay limply in Sara’s arms at the church. Knowing how devastated Sara would’ve been had Ava died, his relief at seeing her looking so much better is evident in his huge smile.

“I heard Lori would’ve escaped the church if it weren’t for you,” Ava says. “Thank you.” The Legends spend the rest of the afternoon catching Ava and Sara up on the latest developments with Lori’s partner.

Later that evening it’s just Sara, sitting next to a sleeping Ava, their hands intertwined. A soft knock shakes Sara from her thoughts as she goes to see who’s at the door. “Can I see her?” Lena asks softly.

“She’s sleeping,” Sara whispers. “I’ll be outside,” Sara says as she moves to give the sisters some privacy.

Once Sara softly closes the door behind her, Lena gently grabs Ava’s hand to intertwine their fingers. She wanted to give Sara as much time with Ava as possible when her condition looked grim. It had been difficult for her to be away from her sister, but Lena knew if the roles had been reversed, she would’ve wanted more time with Kara.  _ How does it feel to be the monster this time? _ Lori’s words are suddenly invading Lena’s mind as she looks down at Ava’s peacefully sleeping form. Lena checks her monitors again, reminding herself that Ava is going to be OK, though it does little to assuage her guilt at having endangered Ava’s life to begin with.

Eventually, Ava starts to stir, and her eyes flutter open as she sees Lena who’s clearly deep in thought over something, her expression a sort of dazed scowl. “Your face is going to freeze that way,” she jokes softly, pulling Lena out of her thoughts. 

She lets out a small smile, before saying, “Alex says the worst is over, and you’re on track for a full recovery.”

“You don’t seem all that relieved,” Ava responds, noticing how Lena’s brow begins to crinkle.

Lena shakes her head as she says, “It’s not that. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more relieved in my life. Well, maybe...the first time,” she trails off as Ava looks at her, clearly not understanding Lena’s meaning. “I never told you this before, but I was the one who found you. And Mom and Dad. After Lori…” Lena can’t bring herself to vocalize what their sister did to their parents.

Ava’s grip immediately tightens around Lena’s hand. “Come here,” she says softly, bringing Lena into as big of an embrace as Ava can muster. After a few minutes of the two sisters holding each other, they both start to pull back, Lena’s eyes starting to water. “I’m sorry you’ve had to hold onto that pain for so long. I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you. How come you never told me?” Ava asks, feeling as though she failed Lena for not making her feel like that was something they could discuss.

Lena wipes away a stray tear and says through a sniffle, “You never told me about what happened. I figured it was too painful.”

Ava rubs a hand across her forehead, suddenly flooded with memories of that fateful night.  _ She and their parents were enjoying a nice quiet evening at home and just finishing up their takeout when Lori arrived, clearly drunk and upset. She started yelling about how Ava ruined her life and how she was responsible for her fiance's death. Their parents tried to calm Lori down but she pulled out a gun and started threatening to shoot Ava. _

_ The next thing Ava remembered, she was lying on the kitchen floor, unable to move, an intense pain radiating from her stomach. She could hear her parents and Lori yelling, but she couldn’t tell what was happening until she heard a series of additional gunshots, then everything was quiet. Ava tried to call out for her parents, but was met with only silence.  _

Ava’s eyes are misty as she recalls the scene to Lena. Tightening her grip around Lena’s hand, she explains, “I was so relieved you weren’t there. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she’d hurt you too.”

Lena sniffles before explaining how she found them all. “I don’t know how much later I got there, but the house was quiet and Lori was long gone. I was terrified that she’d killed all of you,” she says through a sob. “When I felt your pulse, I did everything I could to try to stop the bleeding. I don’t remember what happened next. Just that, after your surgery, they said you were going to be OK.”

Ava wipes a tear from Lena’s cheek, pulling her in for another hug. “I always wondered why I survived, and they didn’t. You saved me. And then I left.” Ava looks down, ashamed at having left Lena alone so quickly after their parents died.

“I understood why you had to leave,” Lena reassures Ava as the two break apart. 

“I’m sorry we never talked about it before. I was too wrapped up in my own pain to be the sister you needed.” Ava lets out a small smile as a stray tear makes its way down her cheek. “Maybe I wouldn’t have been such an easy target for Lori if I had been more honest with you and Sara.”

“Ava, none of this is your fault,” Lena says firmly. “She’s a monster who deserves to rot for the rest of her life. We are going to find out who she’s been working with, and make them both pay.”

As the siblings continue to talk, they notice a commotion happening outside of Ava’s room.

**Meanwhile in the basement of the DEO...**

The last visitor Lori had was Lena the previous morning. It had now been nearly a week since she’s seen or heard from Damien, and she’s pretty sure he’s left her there to fend for herself. Not knowing Ava’s condition or how Sara’s reacting to everything, Lori only assumes Damien has gotten everything he wants having seen what happened at the church.

Lori knows sooner or later the Legends will grow tired of keeping her in her cell, and she can either give Damien up in hopes that will spare her the brunt of Sara or Kara’s wrath or keep waiting for him to show up. Weighing her options, Lori decides that if Ava dies, she could live with going back to prison or whatever else the Legends unleash on her. As she resolves to give up Damien’s identity as her partner the next time she gets a visitor, Lori is shaken from her thoughts by a sudden noise across the hallway.

Damien unlocks the door to the basement entrance of the DEO and quickly runs over to Lori’s cell. Startled by the sudden noise and welcome face, Lori turns around to see Damien running towards her. “This wasn’t part of our plan,” she says, confused why he is attempting to break her out.

“Neither was your capture, my love,” he says between breaths as he reaches the glass walls of her cell. 

“How could you be so stupid to risk alerting the Legends you’re still alive?” Lori thinks if they find out about Damien without her being the source, she’ll lose any leverage she might have left with them.

A devious smile spreads across Damien’s face. “I cut the camera feeds. All they know is something is wrong, not that I’m here.”

“Why did you come here?” Lori asks.

“I needed to see the layout of where they were holding you for myself. So that when I come back to break you out, I’ll know exactly where to find you.” He places a hand to the glass. “I don’t know what they’ve told you, but Ava is on track to make a full recovery. She and Sara haven’t suffered nearly enough for what they did to Nora and John.” Lori’s eyes grow wide as she takes in his news. “Tell them nothing. I’m working on a way to break you out of here. When they’re distracted and their defenses are low, that’s when I’ll return.”

Knowing they are running out of time before someone heads down to see what’s going on, Damien places a kiss on the wall of Lori’s cell before disappearing behind the door through which he entered. Just then, Alex comes running down to Lori’s cell. She looks at Lori and around the hallway, then over to the door where Damien just left. Alex narrows her eyes as J’onn and Ray join her, but nothing seems amiss. 


	25. Bulletproof

The next morning a soft knock on Ava’s door wakes both her and Lena, who had fallen asleep next to Ava on her bed. Ava’s eyes light up as she sees Kara enter. “Hey, you,” Ava says softly, still shaking off the lingering grogginess from her slumber. 

“Darling,” Lena whispers as Kara leans down to give her a soft peck. 

“Would you hate me if I cut in on sister time?” Kara asks innocently as she fidgets with her glasses. 

“Not at all,” Lena says as she untangles herself from Ava and heads towards the door. Smirking, she turns back to face the pair, saying, “Technically, you two are getting some sister time now.”

Lena joins Alex and Sara out in the waiting area. “Well Doc, how are Ava’s test results looking?” she asks Alex.

A huge smile spreads across her face as Alex has given up all attempts to remain in detached doctor mode. “Her pressure’s been holding. There’s no longer a risk of infection, and her incision sites are healing really well. If there aren’t any more setbacks, after a few weeks of recuperating, she could be ready to go home,” Alex finishes explaining.

“Thank you for saving her,” Lena says as she wraps up Alex in a huge hug. 

Their embrace is disrupted by a throat clearing, “Director, we have a potential situation,” Agent Shaw starts. “Can you join us in the command room?”

“Duty calls,” Alex rolls her eyes as she follows the agent. “You know how to contact me if Ava needs anything,” she says as the two head to investigate the DEO’s latest crisis.

“How are you holding up?” Lena asks, turning to face Sara. She’s sporting her leather jacket again, after spending so many days in hospital scrubs. 

_ I’m never going to stop fighting for our future. _ Sara shakes her head as Ava’s words replay in her mind. “To be honest I can’t believe she’s even talking to me, let alone willing to give me another chance. What about you? Do you sleep much?”

Lena’s eyes glaze over for a minute as she thinks back to her recurring nightmares over the past week. “I can’t believe I didn’t know. I can’t believe I fell for Lori’s manipulations. Being around Ava again, it’s so obvious how different they are.”

“I have this recurring dream where we are at the altar and exchanging our vows, and right after I say ‘I do’ and we kiss Ava runs into the church, begging me to believe that it’s her,” Sara lets out a small sob as Lena wraps her arms around her. 

“We have so much to atone for,” she whispers. “I’d feel a lot better if we could make some progress on Lori’s accomplice. Any updates on what happened last night?”

“Alex and J’onn think it was a glitch, since the camera feeds were only out for a few minutes, and there was no sign of anyone near Lori,” Sara says, deeply frustrated they have not been able to identify Lori’s partner. 

“You know it’s a bit out of character for me to find a silver lining, but if it weren’t for any of this happening, I wouldn’t have gotten to know you,” Lena says with a smile. “I know why my sister is so crazy about you.”

“After my sister died, I never thought I would find people that I considered my family,” Sara explains. “Then I met the Legends and Ava, and I couldn’t imagine my life without them.” Sara lets out a small laugh as she remembers some of her early encounters with Lena. “When I first met you I was so intimidated. Not only did I feel like I had to impress you because you’re Ava’s sister, but you have this brilliance and strength that I’ve really come to admire over the past few months.”

“ _ You _ were intimidated??!!” Lena exclaims incredulously. “Ms. I know twelve ways to kill a man with only my pinky finger?” The pair exchange full belly laughs for the first time in weeks. 

“The Legends and I have been talking,” Sara starts, “Would it be OK if we moved our operation to National City? You know, once we resolve everything with Lori? We all kinda like it here.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Lena says with a huge smile as she wraps Sara up in another hug.

Meanwhile, back in Ava’s room, Kara gives her the biggest hug she can without making Ava too uncomfortable. Kara has barely spoken to Ava since her almost wedding to Lena, and she’s been anxious to see her friend that she’s missed so much. “I’m so happy to see you’re feeling better,” Kara says as she takes a seat next to Ava. Fidgeting with her glasses for a minute, Kara turns serious before saying, “I’m so sorry that I let myself get fooled by Lori. You’re such an amazing person, Ava, and I should have been able to know the difference.”

“Can we talk about a happier subject?” Ava asks, not wanting a reminder of being hurt by another one of her friends. She knows how sorry everyone is, and that Lori was incredibly convincing thanks to her tampering with Project Restore, but she just wants to get back to her life. The constant apologies and reminders just bring up her memories of the people she loves not trusting her, and Ava is tired of replaying those over in her mind. “Like you and my sister getting married?!” she squeals.

“Did Lena tell you about the proposal?” Kara asks as a huge smile spreads across her face.

“I wish I could’ve been there. Seeing Winn nearly choke on the ring must’ve been a classic,” Ava giggles, picturing Kara’s horrified face at someone other than Lena getting the ring.

“Speaking of,” Kara starts timidly, “I guess I never formally asked you for your blessing.” She blushes. “I know we are sort of doing things out of order, what with us nearly having the ceremony already, but it would mean a lot to me,” she says shyly.

Ava narrows her eyes, trying to see if she can make the girl of steel squirm a little. “Hmmm, you haven’t really been seeing my sister that long,” she does her best to say with a straight face. “How well do you two really know each other?”

Not expecting Ava to make this difficult, Kara is caught a bit off guard. “Oh, well, we’ve been friends for several years, and I know it probably did seem quick, especially because you were in Star City for most of our engagement, but we really do…” Kara stops mid-ramble as Ava’s laughter envelopes the room. 

Ava lets out a soft whimper between bursts of laughter, never having seen Kara so flustered. “I might pop these stitches from laughing too hard,” she manages to get out. “Kara, of course you have my blessing! I knew from the minute you first invited us to game night all those months ago how perfect you two were for each other. Although, if you ever do anything to hurt my sister,” Ava attempts to say with a straight face, “I’ll expose your secret to the world.” Kara rolls her eyes as the two continue to laugh. Ava turns serious again before continuing, “I know I kind of ruined the first wedding, but what were you two thinking as far as the next ceremony?”

“You ruined nothing,” Kara replies. “We are doing things properly this time around now that we have you with us. To be honest we haven’t talked a ton, but the next ceremony will definitely be smaller. We were thinking just family.” Kara smiles as she and Ava continue to discuss the next round of wedding planning.

**Meanwhile out in the DEO hallway...**

“So, nothing was out of place when you went to check around Lori’s cell the other night?” Zari asks Alex as the two of them along with Nate, J’onn, Winn, Mick, and Ray are discussing what to do next about Lori. 

Alex lets out a frustrated sigh as she shakes her head. “Nothing. It feels like Lori’s partner was somehow there or trying to contact her, but why would he just leave her if that were the case?”

“We have had problems with some of the camera feeds in the past though,” J’onn adds. “It is possible it was just a glitch as it came back online within a few minutes.”

“I just don’t understand how she hasn’t managed to slip up or tell us anything useful about this guy,” Zari says, clearly frustrated with their lack of progress.

“Maybe it’s time we started incentivizing her?” Nate suggests. When Nate receives some confused looks from the rest of the team, he elaborates, “Maybe the threat of Sara or Supergirl would persuade her to be a bit more chatty about her partner?”

“As much as everyone here would love to see them beat the crap out of her, I don’t really see that tactic leading to Lori actually telling us anything,” Alex responds, wishing she could throw a few punches Lori’s way. 

“What if we turned her over to the police? I’m sure she’s violated the terms of her parole. She’d go back to prison for a while,” Ray offers.

“Nahhh, what’s to stop her partner from just breaking her out again like he did the first time?” Winn says, not liking that plan. “What if we let her go, but with a tracker, and see if she leads us back to him?”

“She’d see through that ploy in a minute,” Zari says. “She’s too smart to just lead us back to him. What about the remote server the two of them set-up?” Zari asks, directing her question to Winn. “Is there an IP address or anything we can use to trace the location of where they were routing the files?”

Winn runs a hand through his hair as he explains, “I set up a program to try to do just that a few days ago, but no luck so far.”

Over the next few weeks, the Legends and SuperFriends continue to discuss options for what to do with Lori and ideas for how to find her partner. No significant progress is made, but perhaps more importantly, Ava’s recovery proceeds smoothly, and Kara and Lena continue to make plans for their next ceremony.

One morning Ava awakes to several bouquets of flowers being brought into her room. They add so much color and life to a place that’s come to feel so clinical. “What’s all this?” She asks Sara as the two enjoy their morning coffee.

Sara smiles innocently back at Ava, saying, “Can’t a girl shower her lady with elaborate displays of affection?”

Ava smiles as she takes in the color and vibrancy the flowers add to her surroundings. “After game night last night, and our sushi dinner from the Miku chef the night before, I could definitely get used to this,” she says as she pulls Sara in close to her. Their faces hover for a few seconds, their foreheads barely touching, before Ava places a gentle kiss on Sara’s lips. Sara gets over the initial shock of Ava’s actions before deepening the kiss, having longed to taste Ava again after so many months apart.

The two break apart just as Kara and Lena come into Ava’s room, both carrying garment bags. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Lena says coyly as she notices the longing looks on their faces and their close proximity. 

“Not at all,” Ava says as she tightens her grasp around Sara’s hand, not wanting to lose physical contact with her. “What’s going on?”

“Well, Kara and I needed to find some new dresses. It’s bad luck to wear the same dress to two different weddings, you know,” Lena jokes. “We both narrowed it down to two that we like, but we need your help with making the final decision.” Turning to Kara, Lena asks, “Darling, will you help me get the first one on?”

“Of course!” Kara responds as the pair start getting Lena into her first dress. After a few minutes they return and Lena models the gown for Ava. It’s an off the shoulder trumpet silhouette that fits Lena like a glove. 

“Wow,” Ava says as Lena does a small twirl, giving her the full view of the gown. “You look stunning.” Ava’s eyes start to mist as she takes in how happy her sister looks. She knows how much she and Kara love each other, and she’s thrilled she’s getting to be a part of their planning process this time around. Though she’s beyond happy for Lena, a knot starts to form in the pit of Ava’s stomach as seeing Lena in a white gown stirs up some painful memories she’d like to forget. Flashes of Lena waving a gun in Ava’s face suddenly invade her mind, and she can feel the smile fade from her face.

Seeing Ava’s expression, Lena’s face falls as she begins to apologize, “I’m sorry. Seeing me in a white dress probably isn’t what you need right now.” 

Lena’s voice cuts through Ava’s painful memories, and Sara gives her hand a squeeze. “No, it’s OK. This one really suits you. Can I see the second?” Ava encourages Lena to keep going.

Lena gives her sister a small smile, before going to change into the second dress with Kara. When she comes back, Ava can immediately tell the difference in how Lena feels in the dress. She seems more self-conscious, and her smile isn’t quite as radiant as when she twirled in the first dress. As soon as Lena locks eyes with Ava, Lena can read her like a book. “Wow, OK, so this one is a no,” she jokes.

“I didn’t even say anything!” Ava laughs. “You just seemed so much more confident in the first one!”

“You’re right,” Lena agrees. “It just felt more...me, I guess.” Lena, Kara, Sara, and Ava spend the rest of the day discussing details for the next ceremony, to be held in a couple of days.

The next morning Sara comes into Ava’s room, startled to find her attempting to change out of her hospital gown and into a tank and pair of joggers. “Whoa, did Alex clear your release and not tell me?” Sara asks as she helps Ava slide her tank over her sports bra. Ava shudders slightly as Sara’s hands accidentally graze over her bandages.

Ava locks eyes with Sara, knowing she won’t like what she’s about to tell her. “Sara, it’s been weeks. I’ve gotten most of my strength back. I need to see her.”

Sara knew this day was coming, she has just been dreading it. The determined look in Ava’s eyes tells her she won’t easily be able to talk Ava out of this. “I don’t think this is a good idea, Aves,” Sara says carefully. 

“I’m doing this with or without your help, Sara,” Ava says as she slowly starts to make her way to the door. 

Knowing how hard it is to change Ava’s mind once she’s decided on a course of action, Sara grabs the wheelchair sitting in the corner of her room and rolls it towards her. “Let me help you,” she offers, as she helps Ava to sit down. “For the record, I’m still not OK with this, but I can’t have you passing out on the stairs down to the basement.” 

Ava reaches back to wrap her hand around Sara’s wrist as they head towards Lori’s cell, “Thank you.”

Sara stops while they are still out of sight and earshot of Lori, parking Ava’s wheelchair so she can more easily stand up. “I’ll be right here. If there’s anything you need--”

Ava interrupts Sara by wrapping her arms around her. “I love you,” she whispers as she breaks away from Sara, already missing her warmth. Ava slowly makes her way over to stand in front of Lori’s cell, pushing past the two dull aches in her mid-section. 

“When are you going to learn that I’m bulletproof?” Ava asks flatly as Lori turns around to face her. 

Lori smirks as she takes in the sight of her twin. The last time she saw Ava, she was bleeding out and struggling to breathe on the church floor. She was so confident she’d finally made Ava pay for destroying her life, but seeing her now, standing in front of her, looking more resolved than ever is driving Lori crazy. “You might have gotten lucky a couple of times. But you have to spend the rest of your life knowing I had something you never will again,” Lori spits out. 

“What’s that?” Ava asks, her brow furrowing in confusion. 

“Happiness with Sara,” Lori brags. “Getting to come home to her every night, enjoy the taste of her lips, the touch of her hand.” Lori says, satisfied by seeing Ava’s discomfort at her description of her time with Sara. “Do you really think you’ll ever be able to fully trust her again after what she did to you?”

“After what you made her do,” Ava replies, her tone measured, desperately trying not to let her emotions get the better of her. 

“Oh, believe me, she was a willing participant,” Lori says with a devious smile. “Neither Sara nor Lena ever questioned or doubted that I wasn’t you,” taunts Lori. 

Ava knows Lori is just trying to push her buttons and get a reaction out of her, but her words hurt nearly as much as the looks on Sara and Lena’s faces the day of the wedding. Ava loves Sara, and she still has every intention of marrying her and spending the rest of their lives together, but a small part of her worries she’ll always hold on to Sara’s betrayal. She locks eyes with Lori, noting how smug she looks. It’s the same look Lori gave her right before Ava punched her in Lena’s office months ago. Ava thinks how nice repeating that incident would feel right about now.

Lori decides to try to push Ava further saying, “For all of the time you spend acting like you’re so much better than me, not even the people who know you best could tell us apart. I guess we’re not so different after all.”

“You had to resort to futuristic technology to steal all of my memories! You killed our parents! I’m nothing like you!” Ava is livid. She knows Lori is just capitalizing on all of her worst fears, but it hurts more than she was expecting. Ava takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves and push past the ache in her stomach. She hasn’t stood for this long in weeks, and it’s starting to catch up with her. “You know, I wanted to believe your time in prison might’ve changed you,” she says softly. “I gave up on us ever having a relationship a long time ago, but I thought you would have gained some type of perspective.”

Lori narrows her eyes and purses her lips as she listens to Ava. “Perspective? Are you fucking kidding me, Ava?” Lori shouts, livid at what her twin is saying. “How long would it take you to get over Sara’s death? A month? A year?”

“I’m not responsible for John’s death,” Ava replies firmly. “And neither were Mom and Dad.”

“You couldn’t stand the fact that your screwed up sister finally found happiness,” Lori yells, as tears start to run down her cheeks. “If it weren’t for you, he’d still be alive, and I would be the happy one.”

“How long do you think you can keep hating me?” Ava asks flatly, unmoved by her twin’s uncharacteristic display of emotion. She empathizes with Lori’s loss, but nothing justifies what she’s put Ava through, not to mention their parents. “Twice now you’ve had the chance to kill me, and you couldn’t. Did putting me through that awful pain take away any of yours?”

“It didn’t suck,” Lori responds, her smug tone returning. “Especially at the church when you begged them both to believe you, and they chose me instead.”

Ava nods as the realization that Lori is never going to end her vendetta against her finally hits home. Not wanting to waste another minute with the person she hates most, Ava starts to walk away then stops to tell Lori, “You know, for a second time, you’ve thrown everything you had at me, and not only did I survive, but I get to walk away while you stay trapped in another box.”

Having said her peace, Ava slowly makes her way over to where Sara is still standing across the basement. When she reaches her, Sara can see the emotional toll Ava’s confrontation had on her. Sara wraps her arms around Ava just as Ava’s knees start to buckle. She holds onto Sara like she’s her lifeline. “Let’s get out of here,” Ava whispers. 


	26. Deja Vu

Ava holds her hair off her left shoulder so Sara can zip up the back of her dress. It’s the day of Lena and Kara’s second wedding, and Sara can’t help but admire how great Ava looks in her dress as she turns around to face her. Ava’s hair is down in loose curls, and her slate gray dress perfectly brings out her eyes. “You look...amazing,” Sara says softly, though feeling as though ‘amazing’ isn’t enough to capture what she thinks of Ava in this moment. Apart from the tank and joggers she wore to confront Lori the prior day, it’s the first time Sara’s seen Ava out of a hospital gown since the first wedding. Seeing how far Ava has come with her recovery in such a short period of time only serves to remind Sara how strong the woman she loves is, and how lucky Sara is to have her in her life.

Ava smiles at Sara before gently sliding her hand down to her side, feeling her bandages beneath her dress. Her smile fades as her self-consciousness starts to get the better of her. Sensing Ava’s uneasiness, Sara tells her, “Babe, no one can tell. I promise.” Sara assures Ava as she reaches her hands up behind Ava’s neck, gently pulling her in for a kiss. 

A soft knock at the door interrupts the pair as Alex enters Ava’s room. “Doc, tell me you have good news?” Ava asks, holding her breath in anticipation of what Alex is about to say. She had seen Ava the previous day after she saw Lori, and Alex had expressed the possibility of Ava being released as early as today.

Alex takes a look through Ava’s chart, then locks eyes with Ava. “I want to see how things go at the ceremony and reception today. You haven’t been on your feet for an extended period of time yet, and I want to see how your body handles it.” Alex knows Ava is disappointed, but she also knows Sara and Lena would be less than thrilled with her if she released Ava prematurely and something happened.

“Alex it’s been weeks. I feel fine,” Ava protests as Sara grabs her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Not wanting to ruin the happy mood of the day by getting into an argument with Ava, Alex proposes a compromise, “I’m still waiting on your test results. How about if, after the reception, we come back here, and see if those are ready, and we can reevaluate then?”

Ava smiles, realizing that’s the best offer she’s going to get. “Deal,” she says as she extends her hand to shake Alex’s. 

“Great! Now, what do you say we head to the church?” Sara asks as the three women move to leave Ava’s room.

**Meanwhile at the church…**

“OK, turning on the DEO feed now. Zari, can you confirm what you’re seeing on your end?” Winn asks through the comms system he, Zari, and Alex have set up as he and Ray are setting up cameras throughout the church.

Zari, who’s sitting with Mick and Nate in the third pew, responds, “Roger, Winn. I can see the area outside of Lori’s cell as well as Lori sitting down on the floor of her cell. All good with the DEO feed.” They are all a bit on edge after what happened at the prior ceremony, but with only the Legends and SuperFriends in attendance, and with them all working together this time, Zari is confident they are going to make sure everything goes smoothly this time. 

“Awesome!” Winn says excitedly, giving the thumbs up to Ray to indicate things are on track. They get the final camera into place in the church, and Winn connects the wiring. “How about the church feed? That should now be live.”

A few taps on her iPad later and Zari is looking at the various feeds Winn set up - outside the church, the hallway near Lena and Kara’s rooms, and the entryway. Speaking into the comms again, she confirms with Winn, “Good to go! Now, let’s make sure this wedding goes off without a hitch!”

Meanwhile Alex has arrived and is helping Kara get ready. “I know I said this last time, but you look so beautiful!” Alex says, getting a little choked up at the sight of her younger sister in her gown. Kara fidgets with her glasses as she gives Alex a small smile. Picking up on her sister’s uneasiness, Alex gently slides Kara’s glasses off. “You’re allowed to be happy, Kara.”

Kara shakes her head, trying to clear away the memories of their last ceremony. “I was on cloud nine last time, deliriously happy,” she says through a forced smile. “I’m supposed to be powerful, Alex. I’m supposed to help people.”

Alex brings Kara in for a hug. “Kara, you saved Ava’s life,” Alex says as she holds Kara tightly. Kara sighs as they break apart. A thought occurs to Alex as she says into her comms, “Zari, Winn. How are we looking?” 

“Both the DEO and church feeds are set up, and we are monitoring all of the camera angles. No sign of any movement,” they both answer into Alex’s ear. She smiles when she sees that Kara has heard every word. 

“See, we’ve got this covered. You just focus on enjoying the happiest day of your life,” Alex says, leaning in to give Kara another hug.

Kara takes a deep breath as they break apart. “OK, let’s do this!” she squeals excitedly as she and Alex make their way out of their dressing room and head for the altar.

Meanwhile Ava and Sara are helping Lena put on the finishing touches. Ava didn’t think it was possible for Lena to look even more beautiful in her gown than she did just a few days ago when she first saw her try it on. “I’m so happy you’re here,” Lena says as she throws her arms around Ava. 

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Ava says, hugging Lena tightly. As the pair start to break apart, Ava produces their mother’s locket and clasps it behind Lena’s neck, admiring how well it suits her sister. “She would’ve loved to be here today,” Ava says softly. “They both would.” Ava sniffles as Sara reaches out to grasp one of her hands. The warmth and strength in Sara’s hand reassures Ava as she quickly wipes away a stray tear. “You ready to do this?” She asks as Lena takes a deep breath, looking over her reflection one more time. 

Lena smiles as the three women head out of their room and start making their way through the church. Sara takes a seat next to Zari. “How does everything look?” she asks, knowing about Zari, Alex, and Winn’s plans to keep an eye on things. 

As Zari is reviewing her streams and checking in with Alex and Winn one more time, Lena and Ava slowly approach the end of the aisle and start making their way towards Kara. Sara knows it’s Lena and Kara’s day, but the sight of Ava walking her sister down the aisle, the biggest smile spread across her face, looking happier than Sara thinks she’s ever seen, takes her breath away. She completely misses Zari whispering that everything is fine, as the only thing Sara’s senses can take in at the moment is the woman she loves. 

Sara thinks back to a few weeks ago when they weren’t sure if Ava was going to pull through, and she made Sara promise that if it came to it, she would be the one to give Lena away. That all seemed like a bad dream now as Lena and Kara were finally getting the beautiful, uneventful ceremony they deserved. 

There’s a moment during the vows when Ava looks out at Sara, their eyes locking for a few seconds. Ava sees Sara’s smile, and suddenly she’s struck by an overwhelming urge.  _ I can’t stand not being married to you, you amazing, caring, beautiful person _ , Ava thinks. She has a minor freakout, which she hopes no one sees, when she can’t remember where she put her ring, but is relieved when she remembers she gave it to Alex for safekeeping.

As the ceremony concludes everyone heads for the limos, which take them to a secluded portion of one of National City’s beaches. Sara and the Legends had arranged for them to be the only ones with access to the beach, and for champagne and pot stickers to be available. As Lena and Kara exit their limo, walking hand-in-hand approaching the ocean, Alex starts Nat King Cole’s “L-O-V-E.” Everyone grabs a glass of champagne to toast the two of them as they half dance, half splash to the beat. 

“Are you laughing at me?” Lena asks, feigning hurt as she sees Kara cracking up. 

“No, silly!” Kara says, pulling Lena closer to her. “I was actually thinking about our first dance, back at the gala, and how nervous I was to be around you that night.” Kara blushes.

Lena steals a glance over at her sister before planting a kiss on Kara’s lips. “You know, I never thought you would say ‘yes.’ I must have replayed that conversation a million times in my head because I was so nervous about being rejected by you.” Lena sighs contentedly as a huge smile spreads across her face. “It took me so long to realize that I was in love with you, and I was terrified you wouldn’t feel the same.”

This time Kara leans in and plants a kiss on Lena’s lips as the pair continue to sway to their song, the rest of the party and the world melting away. Sara grabs champagnes for her and Ava while Ava takes the opportunity to approach Alex, retrieving her ring and placing it in her purse, waiting for the opportune moment. As Lena and Kara wrap up their dance, everyone celebrates them with a toast and cheers. 

“I saw that, you know,” Sara teases as she pulls Ava further onto the sand to dance with her. 

“Saw what?” Ava asks, her one eyebrow slightly higher than the other as she sees the cutest smirk spread over Sara’s face.

“During the ceremony, when you tried to hide the fact that you completely forgot where you put Kara’s ring,” Sara says.

Ava snorts, relieved Sara didn’t mention seeing her grab the ring from Alex. “Oh, ha! I thought I was pretty smooth,” she says with a laugh as “Me Gusta” starts playing. Ava locks eyes with Sara, as it’s the first time she’s heard the song since they were back in Star City, blissfully dancing the night away to it.

“You still don’t know any of the words do you?” Sara jokes, sensing Ava’s apprehension about the song, painfully aware of what it means to both of them. 

All Ava can do is smirk at Sara. “You know, the last time we danced to this song, I had never been happier in my life. So much has changed since then,” Ava starts to tell Sara. “But the one thing that hasn’t changed is how I feel about you.” Sara’s brow furrows in confusion as Ava reaches for her purse. “Marry me, Sara,” Ava asks as she produces the ring she’s held onto for nearly a year. It’s not really a question, more like a command. If there’s one thing the past year has taught Ava it’s that time is precious, and she’s tired of spending it without being Sara’s wife. 

A tear escapes Sara’s left eye and slowly rolls down her cheek as she admires the beauty of the ring Ava is holding. She’s dreamed of this moment for so long, longing for the two of them to get back to where they were. But Ava is right. So much has changed. Sara has caused Ava more pain than she ever thought possible. Her self-doubt, something Ava had long ago helped Sara overcome, has returned with a vengeance, and it paralyzes Sara. 

The longer Sara goes without giving Ava a response, the more uncomfortable Ava grows. She slowly closes the ring box, placing it back in her purse as her eyes begin to water. She sniffles and takes a deep breath, trying to keep her tears at bay. “I guess that’s your answer.” There’s a tired, defeated tone to her voice that Sara hasn’t heard since she visited Ava after her first surgery, when she wouldn’t even make eye contact with Sara. Their dancing is forgotten as Ava turns to leave, but Sara grabs her arm to stop her. 

“Ava, I love you more than anything—“ Sara starts to explain, but Ava cuts her off. 

“But not enough to marry me?” She asks, her tone having changed from defeated to annoyed. 

Suddenly flashes of the last wedding are all Sara can see. Ava is begging her to believe her, and Lori is there, manipulating her. She’s holding Lena’s gun. She’s terrified that ‘Lori’ will hurt ‘Ava.’ ‘You chose wrong.’ Those words ring in Sara’s mind for what feels like an eternity. And then Sara is holding a dying Ava, begging her to fight. 

When the flashes finally subside, Sara is met with Ava’s stare. It’s intense with a hint of anger, but mostly there’s disappointment and hurt from being let down by Sara, again. “I’m tired of hurting you,” she says finally, not knowing what else to say and still reeling from having to relive the most painful moments of her life. 

Before Ava can respond, Lena and Kara are making their way off the beach and back towards their limo. “We can’t thank you all enough!” Lena says, giddy with contentment. “Today was absolutely perfect, and we were thrilled to share it with all of you.” As Kara and Lena head back to Lena’s penthouse to celebrate finally being married, the Legends along with J’onn and Winn discuss which beach bar to head to in order to keep the party going. 

Ava meanwhile finds Alex, with Sara awkwardly lingering behind her. “Let’s get this show on the road, Danvers,” Ava says as the three of them get into the second limo, riding back to the DEO in silence. 

Once back at the DEO, Sara helps Ava change out of her dress and into her tank and joggers. Alex pulls up Ava’s test results and starts examining Ava. “You were on your feet for a while today. Any dizziness or light-headedness?”

“None,” Ava says quietly. She’s surprised at how good she feels considering it was the most she has put her body through in over a month. There is some lingering tightness and soreness in her abdomen, sure, but nothing she can’t handle. 

“Ok, let me take another look at your sutures,” Alex says, lifting Ava’s shirt and removing the bandages. “These are healing really well,” she comments, as she makes a note in Ava’s chart and applies new bandages. 

Alex asks Ava a few more questions, until an impatient Ava asks, “Alex, am I cleared to go home or not?” Ava wasn’t quite sure where ‘home’ was these days. She had been envisioning going home with Sara, but after not getting an answer to her proposal, she wasn’t too keen on spending more time with her today. 

Alex smirks at Ava’s assertiveness and nods her head. “I am officially clearing your release.” Thrilled with Alex’s response, Ava throws her arms around Alex. Sara for her part can’t hide how relieved and happy she is that Ava can leave the DEO.

Everyone’s good mood is quickly dashed however when the DEO containment alarm starts going off. “Alex, what is that?” Sara yells over the blaring of the alarm. 

“A prisoner has broken containment!” She yells back as a knot forms in the pit of each of their stomachs. They all race down to the DEO basement to find their fears confirmed. Lori’s cell is empty. Ava takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, but is instantly unsettled by what happens next. 

Sara and Alex are thrown against the nearest wall, falling to the ground in a heap. Sara stares ahead of her, disbelief written all over her face at the figure before them. Damien Darhk stands next to Lori as he holds Sara and Alex in place on the floor. “We killed you,” Sara manages to get out, her voice a mixture of hatred and disbelief. 

“Now now, Sara,” Damien begins with a smirk, “you two should know better than most that just because you leave someone for dead doesn’t mean they  _ are _ dead.” 

As Lori takes a few steps forward to approach Ava, Sara tries to break Damien’s hold over them, but to no avail. Ava stares at her twin, understanding dawning on her that they are planning to take her with them. She’s not in her best fighting form, and she has no idea how to neutralize Damien, but she’ll be damned if she’s going to make this easy for them. 

“I’m out of my box again, sis,” Lori taunts her. “You want to do this the easy way or the hard way?”

“When did a Legend ever go quietly?” Ava challenges. 

Lori’s anger swirls as she thrusts her right arm towards Ava’s face. Ava easily blocks Lori’s attempt, knowing her twin would go for the same move she pulled on her months ago in Lena’s office. But Ava is unprepared for Lori’s counter, a quick jab to Ava’s stomach. Lori catches Ava right along her sutures on her right side, knocking the wind out of her. Sensing her opening, Lori doubles down, bringing her knee up to the same spot, causing Ava to collapse in a heap, struggling to catch her breath. Lori makes a swift kick to Ava’s midsection, and Ava feels a pop, knowing she’s broken at least one of her ribs. 

All Sara can do is watch in horror as Lori takes all of her frustrations of being held prisoner out on Ava. She’s almost relieved when Damien picks her up, throwing her over his shoulder, because it means Lori can’t inflict any more pain on Ava. Her relief quickly turns to terror however, when the pair leave the DEO with Ava as Sara and Alex are finally able to move again. 


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I can't believe this is the final chapter. Thank you to everyone who read this fic, left comments, kudos, etc. Reading y'all's takes on each post was such a highlight from this, and I hope y'all have enjoyed this fic! I'm taking a little bit of time off from writing, but I have a few ideas I need to flesh out for the next one. Thanks again! Hope you like the ending!

“What do you mean Damien Darhk is still alive?!” Nate asks, frantically, knowing how much pain he has caused Sara. Sara ignores him as she continues to pace across the floor of the DEO. She’s so wrapped up in her thoughts of what Damien and Lori are doing to Ava that she doesn’t hear Alex try to fill everyone in on what happened earlier that night. Sara and Alex had called the Legends and SuperFriends to reconvene at the DEO, everyone instantly sobering from the high of the wedding by the news of Ava’s capture. 

Zari walks over to Sara and attempts to reassure her, “Sara, I know you’re worried about her, but we are going to find her.”

Shaken from her thoughts by Zari’s voice, Sara stops pacing and stares over at her friend. “She asked me to marry her, Z,” Sara says softly, her lower lip trembling. 

Zari grabs Sara hands in excitement, trying to cheer her up, “Congratulations Sara! That’s so great!” However, noticing Sara’s frown, Zari’s tone changes, “We’re going to find her.”

Sara lets out a deep sigh. “I didn’t answer her.” Upon seeing Zari’s confused expression, Sara continues, “When she asked, I don’t know, I just kept picturing how much I hurt her. And now...what if I lost my last chance to be happy with her? What if she thinks I don’t love her?”

Zari envelops a teary-eyed Sara. “I’m so sorry you two have had to go through all of this,” Zari whispers as she comforts Sara. “She knows how you feel about her.”

“Hey, guys!” Winn shouts from his computer. “I think I got something!” He yells excitedly.

Everyone rushes over to Winn’s computer to see what news he has for them. “What are we looking at?” Alex asks, eager for some good news.

“When we first discovered the remote server Lori and Damien set up, Zari, Ray, and I tried to use it to back trace the location of where they might be hiding.”

“In English, Winn? For those of us who don’t speak computer?” Kara asks, anxious about finding Ava as soon as they possibly can.

“It just pinged off of a tower near Riverside. Pulling up the schematics of the location...” Winn starts, tapping away on his keyboard. “It’s an old warehouse that’s been abandoned for years. Perfect place for them to set-up.”

“What’s the exact address?” Sara asks, twirling one of her knives before sliding it into her boot. 

“Wait!” Zari interrupts as Winn is about to inform the team of the server’s location. “Guys, what if this is a trap?” Zari asks softly as she can feel everyone’s eyes on her. 

“What do you mean, Z?” Nate asks the question on everyone’s mind.

Zari takes a deep breath as she remembers her conversation with Lori at the church, when she told her they wouldn’t have been able to pull off their plan without Zari and the Legends making sure Ava got to the church. “Lori and Damien planted a news article about Kara and Lena’s first wedding. That’s how we all ended up with Ava there, which is exactly what Lori and Damien had planned.”

“I don’t care,” Sara says flatly, checking her gun to make sure it’s loaded. “I get your concern Z, but they are going to kill Ava if we don’t leave now.” 

“How about if Winn, Zari, and I stay here to keep an eye on things and communicate with you, should things go sideways?” Ray offers, trying to find a compromise.

“Done,” Sara says, grabbing an ear piece and throwing ones to Mick, Lena, Kara, J’onn, Nate, and Alex. “Kara, I’m flying there with you. Lena, you’re with J’onn. Alex, Mick, and Nate - get there as soon as you can. Winn, send us those coordinates.”

**Meanwhile across town in an abandoned warehouse near Riverside...**

Ava shudders as another wave of electricity crackles through her body. She’s not sure which brand of torture she hates more - Damien’s taser or Lori’s fists. She knows at full strength she’d be able to handle Lori, but once she took advantage of Ava’s still healing bullet wounds, the odds were stacked against her. 

Lori and Damien have her tied to one of the columns in their warehouse, which is the only reason Ava’s still on her feet. She takes the small reprieve to survey the damage the pair have inflicted on her body since they took her from the DEO. Ava knows Lori’s blows caused her sutures to tear, and she can feel the stickiness of her blood against what’s left of her shirt. She’s not sure what kind of damage being electrocuted has caused, but the sharp pain she feels every time she takes a breath lets her know at least a couple of her ribs must be broken.

Despite how much she’s hurting physically, her last exchange with Sara is what’s weighing the most on Ava’s mind. She knows Sara loves her, but the silence from Sara when she proposed hurt more than anything Damien or Lori could ever throw at her. That numbness is what’s preventing Ava from giving Lori the satisfaction of reacting to their torture.

Lori lets out a loud sigh, before stopping Damien from tasing Ava again. “This isn’t working,” she says, clearly frustrated by Ava’s refusal to scream or cry out for help. The whole point of their plan was to see Ava and Sara suffer, but Lori was growing tired of them continuing to overcome everything she and Damien had thrown at them. “Let’s try something else,” Lori says to Damien, a devilish smile forming on her lips.

“What did you have in mind, my dear?” he asks, putting the taser down.

“Why don’t you queue up game night?” she asks as Damien heads to the computer to scroll through their files. 

Meanwhile, Lori walks over to Ava and unties her. As soon as she’s close enough, Ava spits in Lori’s face. Ava knows it’s stupid, a feeble attempt at letting her sister know she’s not done fighting yet. But she’s in no shape to take on Lori, who, before Ava can even register her movement, lands a jab to Ava’s left eye, causing her to lose her footing. Lori takes advantage of Ava’s hands covering her face by sending another kick to her stomach. Ava tries to grit her teeth through the pain, but the small whimper that escapes Ava’s lips is enough to bring a smile to Lori’s face. 

After taking a second to bask in Ava’s pain, Lori drags her to her feet, explaining, “You know, we didn’t just tamper with Project Restore to re-route _your_ memories. We also set up a separate feed with mine.” The implication of Lori’s words cause Ava’s stomach to churn. “Are we ready?” Lori asks, looking at Damien for confirmation as she lets go of Ava now that they are facing the projection screen.

Damien nods as he presses play. ‘Ava! You got a motorcycle and didn’t tell me?!’ Seeing a carefree Sara on the screen brings Ava to tears. She hasn’t seen Sara like that in so long, she was beginning to forget what it was like. It’s enough to cause Ava’s knees to buckle as the weight of her battered body, now combined with the mental torture of seeing her love treat Lori with such affection overwhelms her. “Stop!” Ava manages to choke out as she sees Kara’s proposal to Lena. But her pleas go unanswered as Lori and Damien continue to play scenes of Lori and Sara’s time together while Ava was in Star City.

Ava doesn’t know how long Lori and Damien force her to watch Lori’s memories of her time with Sara, but she’s relieved that Sara might have found her when she hears one of the doors get blown off its hinges as a swarm of Agents of Liberty soldiers rush to meet the trespassers. Kara, J’onn, Lena, and Sara start engaging the agents, and soon after Alex, Mick, and Nate join them. 

“Sara, we got this! Help Ava!” Kara yells. Sara quickly dispenses with the goon she’s currently engaged with before catching a glance of Ava, who’s being held by Lori. 

“Let her go!” Sara yells, though it comes out as more of a growl. Ava can’t remember ever hearing Sara sound so angry. She’s never been happier to see Sara, but she’s afraid of Damien or Lori hurting her. Ava hates feeling so helpless, and just hopes that with the entire team there, they can figure out a way to get out of this. 

For his part, Damien just smiles, which only further fuels Sara’s rage. She grabs the knife from her boot and charges at him, but Damien uses his powers to freeze Sara before she can get to him. “I see you never learn,” he says through a chuckle. “We planned for you to find us, knowing once you knew Ava’s location, you wouldn’t be able to resist coming.” Damien lets out another chuckle as he approaches Lori and Ava, unsheathing a dagger of his own. “Do you know what this is, Sara?”

Sara’s eyes grow wide, and she re-doubles her efforts to break Damien’s hold over her as understanding sets in. “No!” Is all she can muster as her futile attempts do nothing to weaken Damien’s power over her.

“There’s a certain poetry, isn’t there?” Damien asks as Ava attempts to escape Lori’s grasp. “This is the same dagger I used to kill Laurel, and you were just as powerless to stop me then as you are now,” Damien says menacingly as he moves to stab Ava. 

As Sara prepares to watch Damien take another person she loves away from her, she suddenly sees two blindingly bright laser beams shoot into the arm that’s holding his dagger. Ava takes advantage of a stunned Lori and thrusts an elbow in her face, causing her to crumple to the ground. Kara stares at both of them, breathing deeply and holding her chest high, daring them to make another move. 

Sara races over to Ava, who collapses into her arms. “Will you still have me?” Sara asks, desperate to know if she’s blown her last chance at a happy future with Ava. 

Ava takes a minute to catch her breath. With her adrenaline starting to wane, the pain from her time with Lori and Damien settles in. Hearing Sara’s question, however, brings a huge smile to her face. “Always.”

“I’m sorry I was an idiot before. I can’t wait to be your wife,” Sara says tenderly as she captures Ava’s lips in a kiss. 

“I’m going to be sick,” Lori mutters as she makes a gagging noise. Alex starts cuffing both of them, but Lori and Damien remain defiant. “I escaped prison once before. I’ll do it again. I’m never going to stop until you pay for what you did to John,” Lori threatens, glaring at Ava the entire time. 

“Don’t forget about my Nora doll,” Damien adds, his voice low and full of nothing but anger, his gaze directed straight at Sara.

“What should we do with them?” Nate asks, gesturing to Lori and Damien. 

Sara locks eyes with Ava, and upon seeing the fear in her eyes, Sara knows what needs to be done. She gestures for Lena to come over to them and gently maneuvers Ava so that Lena is supporting the bulk of her weight. Sara takes out the gun she brought and approaches Lori and Damien. Before either can try to talk their way out of facing Sara’s wrath, she empties her magazine into both of them, not wanting to leave any doubt about their fates. 

**Three months later…**

“I now pronounce you wife and wife,” J’onn says with a smile as Sara and Ava exchange giddy smiles before enveloping each other in a tender kiss. 

“I’ve been waiting to hear that for so long,” Ava coos, once the two break apart. Like Lena and Kara, they opted for a small ceremony, just the Legends and SuperFriends, this time on the beach. Though they both still have the occasional flash or memory of the pain caused by Lori and Damien, they haven’t had any nightmares since their deaths. 

“Told you they would find a way to upstage us,” Kara says happily as she and Lena queue up the music and champagne. “They are so stinking cute,” she squeals.

Lena grabs Kara’s hands to lead her into a dance, smiling as she watches her sister do the same with Sara. She’s never seen Ava as happy as she is right now, and she hopes all of her and Sara’s problems are behind them. “I almost forgot to ask, how did the Project Restore launch go?” Kara knew Lena and Ava had been working to retrofit the device, to prevent its manipulation for ulterior motives.

A huge smile spreads across Lena’s face as she recalls the press conference from the prior day and success stories from their customers. “Perfectly,” she sighs in contentment. “Ava and I managed to eliminate the weak points Lori and Damien exposed, while adding new security features and reset options to prevent future tampering. Additionally, some of our most loyal customers like the Howards have continued to experience restored memories with their loved ones.”

“Baby, that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!” Kara squeals as she dips Lena, the two lost in their own world as the celebration continues around them.

“Let me officially welcome you all to National City, and the Legends division of the DEO!” Alex says, raising a glass of champagne to toast with J’onn, Winn, Mick, Zari, Ray, and Nate. 

“That doesn’t mean we have to take orders from her, does it?” Mick mutters under his breath to Nate. 

“I heard that,” Alex replies indignantly as the others laugh at their exchange. 

“Aren’t you glad you came to your senses and accepted my second proposal, Mrs. Lance,” Ava says cheekily as she and Sara continue to dance. 

Sara smirks before responding, “You know, Mrs. Lance, I’m pretty sure I bought my ring first and would’ve beaten you to the punch, if it weren’t for a certain phone call.”

Ava can’t help but smile at her wife’s playfulness. She’s about to say something back, when the current song that’s playing ends and “Don’t Stop Believin’” starts up. Lena rushes over to bring Sara and Ava to join the rest of the crew in a champagne toast as they all continue to dance and finally enjoy some carefree fun.


End file.
